Valedictory session to mark end for 66 senators, 135 House members today
– comments credited to some Honourables
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Adeboye Omoboye
Valedictory ends tenure NASS members
THE Eighth National Assembly will conclude its business session today with valedictory sessions in the Senate and House of Representatives chambers.
Two hundred and one lawmakers out of the 469-member Assembly will be sitting in the chambers as legislators for the last time – at least for now.
Sixty-six of them are senators and 135 are members of the House of Representatives.
The 201 lawmakers failed to retain their seats at the last elections.
The Ninth National Assembly will be inaugurated on June 11 to usher in a new legislative year.
Only 43 senators were re-elected by their constituents and in the Green Chamber, 225 members scaled the electoral hurdle to retain their seats.
It will be sessions of chest beating and back patting during which Senate President Bukola Saraki and House Speaker Yakubu Dogara will reel out what the chambers achieved under their watch.
Dr. Saraki, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would not be returning on June 11 as he lost his Kwara Central seat to Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Dogara won his Tafawa Balewa Federal Constituency in Bauchi State, but he is the minority PDP in the lower chamber.
It is also expected that the two outgoing presiding officers may paint some low points of their chambers, especially what could have been done differently.
Other members of the two chambers will also seize the opportunity to blow their trumpet.
Those who did not make it back to the National Assembly are mostly expected to be upbeat to justify their stay as members of the Eighth parliament.
The outgoing lawmakers have been cleared of their belongings including refrigerators and television sets which were resold to them at giveaway prizes.
The National Assembly management is repainting and refurbishing the offices to receive new members.
The Senators-elect and House of Representatives members-elect are already warming up to take their seats at the hallowed chambers, having concluded their induction.
The mood of those who failed to return could be gleaned from the near empty chamber witnessed since the elections ended.
Some influential senators, including Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom); George Akume (Benue); Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (Kano); Shehu Sani (Kaduna) Sani Yerima (Zamfara) and David Mark are bowing out of the chamber.
Others are senators Magnus Abe (Rivers); Kabiru Marafa (Zamfara); Sola Adeyeye (Osun); Babajide Omoworare (Osun); Mrs. Fatima Raji Rasaki (Ekiti); Senate Chip Whip Biodun Olujimi (Ekiti); Duro Faseyi (Ekiti) and Tayo Alasadura).
