Plenary at the on-going National Conference resumed on Monday with delegates hotly debating the provisions of the procedure rules that will guide deliberations at the conference.
One of the issues that generated heated debate was the number of delegates to form the quorum during sittings.
However, after heated arguments, the Chairman of the Conference, Idris Kutigi, ruled that the provision in the rules that one-third of all the delegates should form the quorum remained.
The delegates further had a hot debate on the duration of the plenary, following a proposal by Segun Osoba, former Governor of Ogun.
Mr. Osoba had proposed an amendment to the provision of the rules of proceedings, saying that the conference should not be rigid about it.
The current rule being debated stipulates that plenary begins at 10 am and lasts till to 2 p.m. to give way for a lunch break that lasts till 4 p.m. when plenary resumes to close at 6 p.m.
Some of the delegates canvassed for the plenary to hold between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. without break, while others suggested the reduction of the break time to one hour, to enable them to close at 5 p.m.
However, the chairman ruled for the retention of the current provision.
Members also debated on basing the final decision on any issue in the conference on three-quarter (75 per cent) majority.
A lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, and some delegates opposed the provision, arguing that no parliament world over decided any matter based on three-quarter majority votes.
They argued that the practice rather, was to base decisions on two-third majority.
Mr. Kutigi, however, drew the attention of the members to President Goodluck Jonathan’s inaugural speech, stating that decisions on matters should receive 75 per cent majority votes.
There was no final decision on the provision when the conference adjourned at 2 p.m. for break.
Some delegates had earlier expressed displeasure over the difficulties they went through before gaining entrance into the venue.
They called on the secretariat to ensure that they do not experience such again throughout the conference’s lifetime.
(NAN)
