The National Assembly has again postponed the resumption of plenary sessions, further delaying full legislative activity as lawmakers continue to grapple with budget scrutiny and other pressing national matters.
The latest postponement was conveyed in a memo signed by the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, on Tuesday.
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Although no reason was provided for the adjustment, the memo informed senators and members of the House of Representatives that plenary would no longer resume on Thursday, 5 March, as earlier scheduled.
“This is to inform Distinguished Senators and Honourable Members of the National Assembly that the resumption of plenary sessions, which is scheduled for Thursday, 5th March 2026, has been rescheduled to Tuesday, 10th March 2026 at 11:00 a.m.
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“Distinguished Senators and Honourable Members are kindly requested to take note of the change in the resumption date and adjust their engagements accordingly. The leadership of both Houses of the National Assembly regrets any inconvenience the change in resumption date may cause,” the memo read.
The development marks yet another shift in the legislative calendar since lawmakers returned from the Christmas and New Year recess.
Upon resumption in January, both chambers had adjourned for two weeks to enable standing committees to conduct budget defence sessions for ministries, departments and agencies in respect of the 2026 Appropriation Bill.
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The move was aimed at fast-tracking committee-level scrutiny before the passage of the budget.
However, lawmakers were compelled to reconvene on 17 February to address issues described as constitutionally significant, particularly developments surrounding the 2027 general election timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The session culminated in the consideration and passage of the harmonised version of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, after which plenary was adjourned to Tuesday, 24 February.
On 23 February, the leadership of the National Assembly, through the Acting Clerk of the House of Representatives, Ibrahim Sidi, announced another postponement of plenary. The adjustment was said to allow committees conclude work on the 2026 budget defence process.
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Under legislative practice, both chambers are expected to sit for a minimum of 181 days in a legislative year, in line with constitutional provisions.
However, with the repeated adjournments and rescheduling of plenary sessions since January, concerns are mounting over whether the current legislative calendar can accommodate the required number of sitting days without compressing business in the months ahead.
The repeated changes to the plenary schedule have effectively kept legislative business largely at the committee level for weeks, with priority given to the 2026 budget.
Meanwhile, it is expected that upon resumption, both chambers will hold a valedictory session in honour of Barinada Mpigi, who died in February.
Mr Mpigi represented the Rivers South-east Senatorial District in the Senate before his death. Lawmakers are expected to pay tributes to the late legislator and reflect on his contributions to debates and committee work in the red chamber.
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