Family members, friends, aides and well-wishers of members-elect would be barred from the ad hoc chambers as the 10th National Assembly is inaugurated today.
While the members-elect, workers directly involved in the ceremony and a few journalists would be allowed into the chambers, others are to monitor the event at the arcade ground outside the National Assembly Complex.
Already, the management of the National Assembly, the bureaucratic arm of the federal parliament, had told members-elect to come along with only one person for the ceremony, unlike in 2019 when members were accompanied by their wives and children as well as extended family members, friends, aides and party faithful.
Several invitations cited by our correspondent showed that members-elect have invited guests to various venues outside the National Assembly to celebrate the swearing-in ceremony.
One of the highlights of the inauguration ceremony of the outgoing 9th Assembly was when the outgoing Majority Leader, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, stormed the House with his four wives. As the Kano lawmaker introduced his wives amidst claps and cheers from the audience, the lawmaker also disclosed that he had 27 children “and still counting.”
A member of the directorate of the National Assembly, who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity, noted that while it would be easier to manage the population at the Senate, it would not be the same at the House.
The House has 360 members, while the Senate has 109. This is despite that the House uses two conference rooms for sitting, with the second connected to the first electronically with multi-media facilities.
According to PUNCH, Two tents have been erected at the arcade ground, which is in front of the White House section of the complex, to accommodate guests.
