Reps postpone Tuesday’s plenary to Wednesday

The House of Representatives has postponed its plenary scheduled for Tuesday, November 10, to Wednesday, November 11.

The adjustment, according to the House leadership, is due to important national matters requiring the attention of its presiding officers.

The development was announced in a notice issued on Tuesday by the Clerk of the House, Ibrahim Sidi, who said the adjustment was made on the directive of the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas.

The House had adjourned plenary on Wednesday, November 4, with plans to reconvene on Tuesday, November 10.

Sidi, in the notice addressed to all members, requested lawmakers to attend the rescheduled sitting at 11am on Wednesday.

The latest adjustment is one of several changes to the National Assembly’s resumption schedule in recent times.

In February, the National Assembly postponed its resumption from February 24 to March 5 to enable committees to conclude budget defence sessions with ministries, departments and agencies. The date was subsequently shifted to March 10.

Similarly, in September, the National Assembly moved its resumption from September 15 to September 29 to allow the completion of rehabilitation work in the chambers of both the Senate and House of Representatives.

The changes to the legislative calendar have also drawn attention to the constitutional requirement on the number of days lawmakers must sit annually.

Section 63 of the 1999 Constitution provides that the Senate and House of Representatives shall each sit for not less than 181 days in a year.

However, data from the Inter-Parliamentary Union show that the House recorded 132 sitting days in 2025, 49 days below the constitutional minimum.

The constitutional provision makes the actual number of sitting days, rather than scheduled resumption dates alone, the basis for assessing compliance.

Lawmakers also undertake committee assignments, oversight activities and other legislative engagements outside plenary sessions.

The House is expected to resume on Wednesday to continue its legislative business.