House Of Reps Rejects CFR National Honour For Speaker, Says Members At Par With Senators

By Ayodele Oni

The House of Representatives has clarified that members are not inferior to the senate and to prove that, rejected the National Honour conferred on Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas.

The lawmakers accused President Bola Tinubu of discriminating against the lower chamber of the National Assembly after conferring a higher honour on Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

President Tinubu, while addressing the nation to mark Nigeria’s 64th Independence Anniversary celebration, stated that the Senate President, Akpabio and Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun had been conferred with honour of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).

Others mentioned for awards include the Deputy Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Abbas and Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau were conferred with the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR), respectively, a lower rank to that of the senate president.

However, following a motion of urgent public importance moved by Philip Agbese on Wednesday, the House resolved the members are not inferior to Senators, and therefore, both leaders should be treated equally.

The motion, signed by 360 members of the House, called for the abolition of the “upper chamber and lower chamber nomenclature”, stating that both chambers are equal.