Senate fails to form quorum, postpones passage of PIB bill

Posted by admin Latest Politics, Legislature, Senate Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

ABUJA-THE Senate has shelved the passage of Petroleum Industry Bill to Tuesday, March 15, after failing to form a quorum yesterday. Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the debate in the absence of Senate President, David Mark, said the Senate would not be blackmailed into passing the bill by protesting charlatans.

Senator Ekweremadu, remarking after the submission of the report of the Senate Joint Committee on PIB by Senator Lee Maeba, however, gave the assurance that the bill would be passed before the end of the sixth Senate.

He said: “We are responding to our sense of responsibility and not to any text messages. I hear that some charlatans were here yesterday to protest the delay in passage of the bill. I know the amount of work we have put in the PIB in the life of this Senate. We are determined to pass it.”

Even though the Senate was able to pass three other bills without forming quorum, the senators refused to consider the PIB on the excuse of poor attendance and lack of time to consider the report.
Senator Anyim Ude, PDP, Ebonyi urged the senate to expedite action on the PIB before the expiration of the sixth senate in order to ward off harassment from Nigerians.

He said: “I agree that the bill should be passed before the end of live of the senate because of the sheer blackmail we are receiving. We should fix a day to pass it, I feel some people are doing something funny with the bill.”

Senator Abubakar Sodangi, PDP, Nasarawa, argued that a full day be devoted to the bill to get all the senators to participate in passing the bill.

While Senator Satty Gogwim, PDP, Plateau, in his contribution, argued that the bill was shelved due to the absence of the signature of Chairman of Senate Committee on Gas on the report.

He said: “In the signature column, the signature of that of gas is not here. As far as this bill is concern, the committee is not complete.”wp_posts