Suspended Lawmaker and former Majority Leader, Ali Ndume, sponsored the highest number of bills (67 bills) at the Senate, a report has said.
Next to Ndume is the Deputy Leader, Bala Ibn Na’Allah (APC, Kebbi), who had 19 bills, followed by Adeola Olamilekan (APC, Lagos) 16, and Andy Uba (APC, Anambra) with 15 bills.
The report, made available to Post-Nigeria, showed that the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, sponsored one bill on the establishment of the Nigerian Academy of Science and was passed on July 5, 2017.
Ndume is serving a 6-months suspension slammed on him by the Upper Chamber.
Speaking, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Business, Garbai, said Ndume had the highest bills, because he was the Senate Leader for about two years.
“All the bills that are coming to the Senate from the House for concurrence, come in the name of the Leader. Also, all the bills from the Executive are in his name. This is because of the position he occupied,” he said.
“Our rules allow the Presiding Officers to sponsor bills, but since 1999, no Senate President has done so. It’s in the House that Ghali Umar Na’Abba sponsored bills, and now Speaker Yakubu Dogara, has done so with his bill on the North-East Development Commission.”
Explaining the procedures for sponsorship of bills, he said: “The sponsor writes to the Senate President, then we write to the National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS), they will analyse it and make an input.
“After this, they will send it back to us; we will then send it for gazetting. After it is gazetted, we will list it for first reading, then the sponsor would be asked to submit his lead debate, then the bill would be listed for second reading. If it scales through, it would be referred to relevant Committee. The Committee will organise a public hearing for stakeholders to make an input.
“Then the Committee report on the bill would be laid, considered during a Committee of the whole. If it is passed, it would be sent to House for concurrence. Then, it would be sent to the Legal Unit of the National Assembly. After this, it would be sent to the President for assent,” he said.
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