Senate, Reps postpone plenary

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The leadership of the National Assembly has postponed its resumption of plenary to allow committees conclude work on the 2026 budget defence.

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The decision was conveyed in an internal memo issued on Monday by the Acting Clerk of the House, Ibrahim Sidi, and addressed to all members.

According to the memo, the postponement became necessary as several ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) are yet to complete their appearances before relevant committees for the ongoing 2026 appropriation exercise.

“In light of the ongoing 2026 Budget Defence by Ministries, Departments and Agencies which remains substantially incomplete, the leadership of both Houses hereby directs the postponement of plenary sitting to allow committees conclude their budget defence accordingly,” the memo read.

Plenary, earlier scheduled to resume on Tuesday, 24 February, will now reconvene on Thursday, 5 March at 11:00 a.m.

The leadership expressed regret over any inconvenience the change may cause and urged members to use the intervening period to refine their contributions and strengthen deliberations around the budget proposals.

The House had initially adjourned plenary last Tuesday, to enable standing committees continue engagement with MDAs in detailed scrutiny of their 2026 budget estimates. However, the volume of presentations and the need for further clarifications from some agencies appear to have slowed the process, necessitating an extension of the break.

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Valedictory session planned

It is expected that upon resumption, the House will hold a valedictory session in honour of Barinada Mpigi, a senator, who died last Thursday.

Mr Mpigi represented Rivers South-east Senatorial District before his death. Lawmakers are expected to pay tributes to the late legislator during the special sitting.