The Senate on Thursday rejected a motion seeking a review of the process for evaluating, considering, and awarding contracts in the National Assembly in line with procurement regulations and the parliament’s approved budget.
The upper chamber decided after a majority of senators opposed the proposal during the plenary session.
The motion, sponsored by the Chairman of the Senate Services Committee, Sunday Karimi (APC, Kogi West), was stepped down after lawmakers argued that the Senate leadership needed first to address the issues raised and reach a clear position before bringing the matter to public debate.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, said lawmakers needed to properly study and understand the National Assembly budget, including the amounts appropriated for various projects and their scope, before assessing performance or considering changes to the procurement process.
“We should start with ourselves, and we should get the two chambers to know exactly what is going on. We should also debate and understand the budget. We should know how much is coming, what is going to where and what is going to where. This motion is premature,” he said.
