{"id":7321,"date":"2025-09-22T04:02:37","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T04:02:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/?p=7321"},"modified":"2025-09-22T04:02:37","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T04:02:37","slug":"senate-resumption-between-recess-lapses-and-legislative-hurdles-ahead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/senate-resumption-between-recess-lapses-and-legislative-hurdles-ahead\/","title":{"rendered":"Senate Resumption: Between Recess Lapses and Legislative Hurdles Ahead"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/h1>\n
By Ignatius Okorocha<\/div>\n

As\u00a0 Senate resumes on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, Nigerians will be watching closely to see how the upper chamber intends to steer the course of governance in the months ahead. The recess, traditionally described as a \u201cworking break\u201d for lawmakers, is designed for committees to engage in oversight, investigative hearings, and public interactions with ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs). Yet this year\u2019s experience revealed a troubling disconnect between rhetoric and reality.<\/p>\n

A Deserted Red Chamber<\/h2>\n

Before proceeding on recess in July, Senate President Godswill Akpabio had reassured Nigerians that the chamber would remain alive with committee activities. \u201cThe recess is not for rest but for work,\u201d he declared, noting that the Constitution empowers lawmakers to provide oversight, monitor the implementation of laws, and interface with government agencies even when plenary is suspended.<\/p>\n

But walking through the Red Chamber in those weeks told a different story. Committee rooms were locked, offices deserted, and the once vibrant building reduced to an echo chamber of silence. For parliamentary reporters, it was a sobering picture: a legislature that seemed to have gone on full holiday, despite public pronouncements to the contrary.<\/p>\n

In stark contrast, the House of Representatives presented another face. Its members could be seen holding committee meetings, conducting public hearings, and engaging ministries in oversight discussions. The lower chamber gave off an impression of lawmakers still tethered to their mandate. As one House member put it during a recent interaction:\u00a0\u201cRecess should not mean retreat from responsibility. Nigerians expect us to work whether we sit in plenary or not.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The comparison raises difficult questions for the Senate. Can it afford to project an image of inertia at a time when the nation grapples with economic hardship, security challenges, and deepening public distrust in governance?<\/p>\n

A Heavy Agenda on Resumption<\/h2>\n

The recess lull is now behind. Upon resumption, senators are faced with weighty national issues that will test their legislative will and political discipline.<\/p>\n

1. The Constitution Review Exercise<\/h3>\n

Constitution amendment has almost become a recurring decimal in Nigeria\u2019s democratic journey. Since 1999, every Senate has initiated some form of review, yet the country still operates under the weight of unresolved contradictions in its federal structure. The Tenth Senate is expected to push forward with the latest round of amendments, with debates centering on electoral reforms, judicial restructuring, local government autonomy, and revenue allocation.<\/p>\n

History has shown how contentious these issues can be. During the Seventh National Assembly, attempts to amend Section 9 of the Constitution collapsed after disagreements between the legislature and the executive under President Goodluck Jonathan. In 2018, the Eighth Assembly under Bukola Saraki succeeded in pushing through amendments on financial autonomy for state assemblies and the judiciary, but other critical proposals fell short of the two-thirds requirement across state legislatures.<\/p>\n

Now, as the Tenth Senate resumes, Nigerians will be asking whether this review will move beyond rhetoric into substantive restructuring. The credibility of the exercise will rest not only on what changes are proposed, but also on the sincerity of senators to prioritize national interest over partisan divides.<\/p>\n

2. The 2026 Federal Budget<\/h3>\n

Another immediate assignment is the 2026 budget presentation by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Early presentation has often been the missing piece in Nigeria\u2019s budget cycle, leading to delays that undermine economic planning and project implementation.<\/p>\n

If the President lays the budget before the National Assembly in September or early October, the Senate has a real chance to achieve timely passage by December\u2014a practice the Ninth Assembly briefly institutionalized before political distractions set in. The process will involve first and second readings, committee scrutiny, and exhaustive defence sessions with MDAs.<\/p>\n

The question, however, is whether supervising committees will display the seriousness required to interrogate fiscal assumptions, probe wasteful expenditure lines, and demand accountability from government agencies. Too often, budget defence sessions have been reduced to perfunctory rituals, with lawmakers either absent or inattentive. The coming weeks will determine if this cycle will be broken.<\/p>\n

3. The Return of Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan<\/h3>\n

Equally significant on the chamber\u2019s agenda is the resumption of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central, whose six-month suspension has elapsed. Her return is bound to stir interest for multiple reasons.<\/p>\n

First, the suspension itself had attracted criticism from civil society and gender rights groups, who saw it as an attempt to silence one of the few female voices in the Red Chamber. Second, her outspoken style and willingness to challenge entrenched interests mark her out as a senator who will not easily blend into the background. Her reinstatement will therefore test the Senate\u2019s tolerance for dissent and its commitment to inclusivity.<\/p>\n

In a country where women represent less than 5% of the National Assembly, Akpoti-Uduaghan\u2019s return carries symbolic weight. It could also re-energize debates around gender bills, which were controversially voted down during the Ninth Assembly despite widespread advocacy.<\/p>\n

Lessons From Past Recesses<\/h2>\n

Nigerians have long complained that lawmakers treat recesses as extended holidays. In 2017, then Senate President Bukola Saraki faced public backlash when pictures of senators traveling abroad during recess went viral, prompting criticism that oversight duties had been abandoned. Similarly, in 2022, the Ninth Senate came under fire for failing to hold MDAs accountable during the recess period, leading to delays in project execution.<\/p>\n

Political observers argue that a legislature that spends months on recess without active oversight erodes public trust. As constitutional lawyer Jiti Ogunye once remarked,\u00a0\u201cRecess is no excuse for dormancy. The committees are the engine room of parliament, and when they go to sleep, governance suffers.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The Senate, therefore, cannot afford to ignore these lessons. Its credibility is at stake, not just in passing laws, but in demonstrating that even outside plenary, it remains engaged with the problems of the people.<\/p>\n

A Senate Under Public Scrutiny<\/h2>\n

The return from recess is not just a routine reopening; it is a test of the Tenth Senate\u2019s seriousness. Nigerians are weary of promises unfulfilled and budgets that fail to translate into tangible impact. With inflation biting hard, unemployment high, and security challenges persisting, the public mood demands urgent and visible legislative action.<\/p>\n

Moreover, the contrast with the House of Representatives has put the upper chamber on the defensive. While the House has been seen as more energetic in oversight and constituency engagement, the Senate risks being branded as aloof and disconnected. For an institution that prides itself as the \u201cHouse of Elders,\u201d such an image would be politically damaging.<\/p>\n

The Road Ahead<\/h2>\n

As the gavel strikes on September 23, the Senate must confront three defining questions:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Will it redeem its image after a visibly inactive recess?<\/strong><\/li>\n
  2. Can it deliver on constitution review in ways that strengthen democracy and federalism?<\/strong><\/li>\n
  3. Will it ensure a transparent, timely, and accountable budget process for 2026?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    How the chamber answers these questions will shape its legacy and its relevance in the larger democratic project.<\/p>\n

    Editorial Verdict<\/h2>\n

    The Tenth Senate stands at a crossroads. The deserted corridors during recess raised doubts about its commitment, but the agenda ahead provides an opportunity to reset the narrative. The Constitution review, the 2026 budget, and the return of Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan are not just legislative items; they are tests of credibility, inclusivity, and governance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    By Ignatius Okorocha As\u00a0 Senate resumes on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, Nigerians will be watching closely to see how the upper chamber intends to steer the course of governance in the months ahead. The recess, traditionally described as a \u201cworking break\u201d for lawmakers, is designed for committees to engage in oversight, investigative hearings, and public […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1228,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[16,1658,4655,4654,2115,560,1798,1761,4656,2517,2255,2254],"class_list":["post-7321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-challenges","tag-criticism","tag-high","tag-inflation-biting-hard","tag-investigative","tag-oversight","tag-parliamentary","tag-persisting","tag-prompting","tag-recess","tag-traditionally","tag-unemployment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7321","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7321"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7321\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7322,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7321\/revisions\/7322"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}