Fred Itua, Abuja
Senate has adjourned plenary to Tuesday, March 12; over inability to form quorum.
In a chamber of 109 senators, 37 members are needed for plenary to hold.
According to the chamber’s register, yesterday, only eight senators attended plenary.
Moving the motion for adjournment, Senate Leader, Ahmad Lawan, said many lawmakers were yet to know their fate, as some senatorial election results were yet to be announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Lawan suggested that the chamber adjourn for two weeks until governorship and Houses of Assembly polls were conducted. His suggestion was adopted.
With the adjournment, the minimum wage bill forwarded to the senate in January, by President Muhammadu Buhari, has suffered a fresh setback.
The new National Minimum Wage Bill, which was passed by the House of Representatives, is yet to go for a public hearing in the Senate.
The Bill has already passed second reading in the senate, but a public hearing is yet to be conducted by the Ad hoc committee constituted by the leadership.
Speaking on the issue, yesterday, Senate President, Bukola Saraki, urged the committee to expedite action and come up with a report. He promised that the issue would be the first to be considered when lawmakers reconvene next month.
However, Chairman of the ad hoc committee and Chief Whip, Olusola Adeyeye, said his efforts to summon his colleagues to a meeting, didn’t yield any result.
Adeyeye complained that he may not be around when senate reconvenes and told his colleagues he needed to travel to attend to his health.
In his place, he suggested that the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, should head the committee.
Saraki, who presided at plenary, suggested that any member of the committee could stand in for Adeyeye, in his absence and insisted that the report must be ready for consideration when the chamber reconvenes.