House denies frosty relationship with Senate over bills’ concurrence

The House of Representatives has denied having a frosty relationship with the Senate over delay in concurrence on bills passed by either of the two chambers.

A spokesperson for the House, Benjamin Kalu, stated this on Friday when he briefed journalists on the activities of the 9th assembly.

“There is no friction between us; we should stop building mountains out of a molehill. There is no supremacy and no contests.

“The two chambers know their mandate and how to manage their expectations based on the Constitution; let us not import things into the relationship.

“The National Assembly has only one chairman, who is the President of the Senate and we work in collaboration toward fulfilling our mandate. The senate cannot work without us and we cannot work without them,” he said.

He said the lawmakers would not leave any stone unturned at ensuring that Nigerians got the best from them.

Speaking on the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) amendment bill sent by President Muhammadu Buhari, Mr Kalu said the lawmakers would look at it dispassionately.

He said that no piece of legislation was perfect without room for improvement, adding that the PIA was not an exception.

“This PIA has shown that the president is a democrat who has retraced his steps for good.

“The President felt that the embroidery of this structure does not reflect that which is capable of enhancing national unity and cohesion,” he said.

Newsmen report that about 69 bills passed by the House were awaiting concurrence by the Senate.