GCON, CFR Honours: House of Reps, Senate Equals NASS, None is Superior- House Clarifies

The House of Representatives has made clarification on its position regarding the National Honour Conferred on the Speaker of the House, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen.

The House at plenary on Wednesday rejected the award of CFR on the Speaker, while the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio was conferred with the GCON honour.

However, reacting to the controversy being generated by the national honours in a statement signed by the Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Public Affairs, Hon Philip Agbese, the House clarified that its decision was no a “rejection” of the honour bestowed on the Speaker, but reassertion of the fact that both the Speaker and President of the Senate are firsts among equals, and that both the House of Representatives and the Senate are equal as both chambers concurs on its decisions as the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Part of the statement reads:

“The motion, sponsored by Rep. Philip Agbese and co-signed by over 200 members, raised concerns about the longstanding misrepresentation of the House as the “lower chamber” and called for recognition of its equal legal status with the Senate in Nigeria’s bicameral legislature. Members emphasised that both chambers must concur on all Acts of Parliament, affirming that neither chamber is superior or inferior to the other.

 

“This motion is particularly relevant following Mr. President’s Independence Day speech, which listed the Speaker after the Deputy President of the Senate, and both Presiding Officers conferred with the same honour of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR).

 

“Consequently, the motion argued that the Speaker, as the nation’s number four citizen, follows the Vice President and President of the Senate in precedence, with the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) ranked fifth. As such, members urged for the Speaker to be considered for the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) to reflect his office’s status and position in the National Order of Precedence.

“The misunderstanding regarding the purported rejection of the honour arose from an amendment proposed by Rep. Anthony Adebayo Adepoju, which was ultimately deemed inappropriate and withdrawn. We must use this opportunity to educate some segments of the media that contributions from Honourable Members during a debate do not constitute House Resolutions. The media must diligently report what the House, in its collective wisdom, adopts as a resolution on any particular issue.

 

“It is important to reaffirm that the House did not reject the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) honour conferred on Speaker Abbas by His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, “President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. The House celebrates this prestigious award conferred by Mr. President in exercise of his powers under the National Honours Act.

 

“It serves as a tribute to the Speaker’s distinguished service to the nation and underscores the vital role of the House of Representatives in Nigeria’s development.

 

“We wish to clarify therefore, that this is not a matter for personal advancement of the Speaker, but a multi partisan request for recognition of the institution of the House of Representatives by all stakeholders within the framework of Nigeria’s democratic institutions. The media is urged to accurately report that, in view of the foregoing, the House resolved to respectfully urge the President to consider upgrading the honour to align with the National Order of Precedence.

 

“The House subsequently referred the motion to an Ad Hoc Committee, which will include representatives from the Zonal and Regional Caucuses and will be chaired by the House Leader for further legislative action.