Buhari Dissolves, Proclaims 9th Assembly …Lawmakers Recount Legacies, Praise Saraki, Dogara’s Leadership

President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, pronounced the dissolution of the Eighth Session of the National Assembly, and announced the proclamation of the Ninth Session of the Parliament billed to commence on Tuesday, June 11.
The Clerk to the National Assembly, Mohammed Sani Omolori, confirmed this while addressing journalists in his office, yesterday.
He said, “I want to confirm that I have received proclamation from the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The first is on the dissolution of the Eight National Assembly, while the other one is on the convening of the first session of the Ninth National Assembly.
“The proclamation of the dissolution of the Eight National Assembly takes effect from 12 midnight of 8th June.
“By implication, from 8th of June by 12 midnight, the Eight National Assembly stands dissolved.
“Similarly, the Ninth National Assembly will be inaugurated and first sitting will be held on Tuesday, 11th of June by 10:00 a.m. in the National Assembly Complex.”
However, the 8th Senate, presided over by Dr Bukola Saraki, yesterday, adjourned sine die after a valedictory session which marked the last official assignment of the 8th Senate.
There were mixed feelings at the valedictory session, when senators took turns to appraise their performance for the past four years.
The Upper Chamber, which for some time had been scanty in attendance after the 2019 general election, was packed full with lawmakers takening turns to speak on their experiences since 2015 when the Senate was inaugurated.
In his remarks, Sen. Magnus Abe (APC-Rivers), commended his colleagues for working tirelessly in preserving the Senate as an institution.
Abe said “it was the desire to serve Nigeria that brought us here. We preserved this institution for others to come and make their contribution.
“We may not have served perfectly but we represented the highest standard of integrity. May God bless us all,” he said.
Also speaking, Sen. Shehu Sani (PPP-Kaduna) said lawmakers were not elected to only represent their constituents, but also to protect the interest of the country at large.
He pointed out that lawmakers had a duty to define their role in history by defending the institution of the National Assembly.
Sani said that one thing every lawmaker ought to take note of was to serve with honour and leave with more honour and also by standing for the truth irrespective of religious, ethnic affiliation or party leaning.
“As a parliament, it is a calling. We are not just here to represent the people, but to stand for issues that are germane,” he said.
On the performance of the 8th Senate, Sani said, there was no doubt it passed through turbulence, noting that “every national assembly has its challenges.
Similarly, the 8th House of Representatives has ended its tenure after four years in office and has adjourned indefinitely in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.
This was sequel to a unanimous adoption of a motion by the Majority Leader of the House, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila (APC-Lagos) at the end of the valedictory session, yesterday in Abuja.
Earlier, the Speaker, Hon Yakubu Dogara had said that the House was inaugurated on June 9, 2015.
He appreciated the members for the confidence reposed in him and for electing him speaker of the House in 2015.
Dogara said that the House passed a total of 382 bills out of which 76 were assented to by the President.
He said that with 382 bills passed by the 8th House of Representatives, it had surpassed records of all previous assemblies. Dogara said that the 8th House of Representatives was the most harassed in the history of the country, yet it sustained the legacies of its past leaders.
“It appears we are losing the fight against violence and as if that is not bad enough, the situation is so dire that known statesmen are becoming petrified and speaking up in ways that may further rend our national fault lines.
“It is like we refused to hear the whispers and now the screams are threatening our ear drums.
“This is a national problem that we can only solve if we pull ourselves together and not apart regardless of political persuasions or creed.
“The challenge is to get the leadership that throws out politics and partisanship out of the window.
“Leadership that reins in all our best human and material resources to confront these menacing challenges.
“Yet, instead of uniting to confront this very danger, all one hears are sermons of divisiveness and permutations for 2023 elections. I wonder if this is not how the bottom looks like,” he said.
Meanwhile, the National Assembly management has given outgoing members of the 8th Senate three days to handover their office keys.
The announcement was made by the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, yesterday, at the beginning of the valedictory session of the 8th Assembly at the National Assembly, Abuja.
The announcement is the fourth agenda on the Order Paper of the day.
The 8th Senate, which was inaugurated on June 9, 2015, would come to an end on June 6.
Reading the letter by the Committee on Recovery and Preparation of the 8th Assembly Offices’ Furniture and Equipment for Ninth Senate titled: “Handing Over of Office Keys, Furniture Equipment,” Saraki urged the lawmakers to hand them over between yesterday and Saturday.