No reason has been given as Journalists from various media organizations accredited to cover the Senate plenary on Tuesday were barred by the National Assembly’s security.
INFORMATION NIGERIA reports that a sergeant-at-arms barricaded the door leading to the gallery, from where the public and journalists observe proceedings.
After locking the gallery door, the security operative left the scene.
According to TheCable, a monitor in the press centre and online streaming platforms, as well as a Twitter feed for live updates of the upper legislative chamber, were also not working.
READ MORE: 10th Senate: Akpabio Names Bamidele, Ndume, Umahi, Asiru Principal Officers
After 45 mins, the sergeant-at-arms allowed about 20 journalists in.
The public is only shut out of parliamentary proceedings during an “executive session” which is usually announced a few minutes before the senators go behind closed-doors.
The upper legislative chamber is resuming from a two-week break after the 10th session was inaugurated in June.
Apart from appointing its principal officers, the senate is gearing up to receive a request from President Bola Tinubu to screen and confirm his ministerial nominees.
Recall that Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, on Tuesday, announced four principal officers for the majority in the 10th Senate.
The new officers are Opeyemi Bamidele representing Ekiti State Central as Senate Leader, Dave Umahi representing Ebonyi South as Deputy Senate Leader, Ali Ndume representing Borno South as Chief Whip and Lola Ashiru as Deputy Chief Whip who represents Kwara South.
Akpabio who said the choice of the principal officers was by consensus also announced the names of minority principal officers.
