NASS Suspends Plenary Over Death Of Two Members

The Senate and the House of Representatives, yesterday, upon resumption from their two weeks recess, adjourned plenary over the recent death of two members of the National Assembly.

This was just as both chambers held a minute silence in honour of the lawmakers who are members of the House of Representatives.

The decision to suspend the plenary was carried out in line with the tradition of the National Assembly, following a motion moved by the Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi, and seconded by the Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe.

Moving the motion, the Senate Leader said, “this Distinguished chamber and, to our Distinguished colleagues, the passing of two members of the National Assembly by names of Hon Haruna Maitala, who until his demise represented Bassa/Jos North Federal Constituency of Plateau State, and who we lost on April 2, 2021, in a ghastly motor accident.

“The second loss we suffered was that of another member, Hon. Suleiman Aliyu Lere, representing Lere Federal Constituency from Kaduna State, whom we also lost on April 6, 2021.”

“Mr President, Distinguished Colleagues, I rise in accordance with our tradition, to move two motions: one for the suspension on all other items scheduled for consideration on the order paper today; [And] also another motion for this Distinguished chamber to observe one-minute silence in honour of the departed, I so move.”

President of Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan, while putting the motion to a voice vote which was unanimously supported by Senators, described the demise of the two lawmakers as “another sad development in the National Assembly”.

Thereafter, the Upper Chamber held a minute silence in honour of the deceased lawmakers before adjourning plenary till today.

At the House of Representatives, Speaker, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, expressed shock over the demise of the lawmakers during plenary.

While paying tribute to the departed lawmakers, Gbajabiamila said, “Maitala was a quiet gentleman. The loss was very painful.

The circumstances surrounding his death is very painful.

The day he died, he had just come back from an official assignment of ECOWAS Parliament.

He was going to Jos for his son’s wedding when death confronted him, he died together with his son and Rep Yusuf Gadji legislative aide,” Gbajabiamila said.

On Lere, the speaker also described his death as painful.

“We know how he struggled in law courts for his election petition case, and he eventually won almost after two years.

“We swore him in two months ago, which was a very bitter fight, only for us to hear he died few weeks after his swearing in

Both deaths are difficult to understand but God knows best,” he said.

Gbajabiamila said that the House would hold a valedictory session next Tuesday, in honour of late Rep Ossy Prestige, who also died in February, 2021.

Thereafter, he adjourned plenary till today.