October 02, (THEWILL) – The House of Representatives has rejected the National Honour of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) conferred on Speaker Tajudeen Abbas by President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday.
It accused President Tinubu of discriminating against the lower chamber of the National Assembly by conferring a higher honour (GCON) on Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
THEWILL reports that President Tinubu had on Tuesday, conferred national honours on Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN); Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Deputy Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives and his Deputy.
According to the awards announced by the President in a nationwide broadcast to commemorate Nigeria’s 64th independence Anniversary, Tinubu said, “The Senate President and the Chief Justice of the Federation have been conferred with the honour of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON). The Deputy Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives have the honour of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR), while the Deputy Speaker of the House has been awarded Commander of the Order of Niger (CON).”
Reacting to the national honours in a motion of urgent public importance moved by Philip Agbese on Wednesday, the House resolved members of the Green Chamber are not inferior to Senators and declared that Senate President Akpabio and Reps Speaker Abbas should be treated equally.
The motion, signed by 360 members of the House, called for the abolition of the “upper chamber and lower chamber nomenclature”, stating that both chambers are equal.
