With twelve lawmakers in the National Assembly. Orderpaper Nigeria highlights the scorecard of Senators and members of the House of Representatives from the state. This piece is focused on their performance in the area of Bill Sponsorship over the last three years (2019 -2022)
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SCORECARD
Benjamin Kalu
Rep. Kalu leads the bills tally of twelve lawmakers from Abia State at the federal parliament, with forty-five (45) bills in his name.
Representing Bende Federal Constituency, the first-term lawmaker doubles as the spokesperson of the House of Representatives and Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs.
Uzoma Nkem Abonta
Rep. Kalu is closely followed by the lawmaker representing Ukwa East/Ukwa West Federal Constituency, Uzoma Nkem Abonta, who has sponsored forty (40) bills in the Ninth National Assembly.
A member of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), he was first elected into the House of Representatives in 2007. He currently serves as a member of the House Committee on Public Petitions.
Nkeiruka Onyejiocha
Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Representatives and the only female Principal Officer in the current National Assembly, she represents Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency.
She is also a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and has so far sponsored thirty-five (35) bills.
One of the longest-serving lawmakers in the National Assembly, she was first elected as a member of the green chamber in 2007 on the platform of Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) but defected to the APC in August 2018 ahead of the 2019 elections.
READ ALSO: Fact File: Performance Appraisal of Female Reps | 9th National Assembly Scorecard
Darlington Nwokocha
The lawmaker representing Isialangwa North/South Federal Constituency has in the last three years (2019 -2022), sponsored seven bills.
He is the Chairman of the House Committee on Insurance and Actuarial Matters and is currently serving his second term as a federal parliamentarian.
Samuel Ifeanyi Onuigbo
Representing Ikwuano, Umuahia North, Umuahia South Federal Constituency, the lawmaker has four bills to his name in the period under review, including the Climate Change Bill, which was passed by the National Assembly and has been assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari in November 2021.
He joins the list of lawmakers seeking a seat in the Red Chamber in the 10th National Assembly.
Chimaobi Ebesike
The lawmaker representing Aba North and South Federal Constituency was elected to the Green Chamber on the platform of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in March 2021.
He emerged winner in a March 2021 bye-election conducted by the country’s election management body to replace Rep. Ossy Prestige of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), who died in February 2021.
The lawmaker has, so far, not sponsored a bill in the Ninth National Assembly.
Solomon Adaelu
Like Ebesike, the lawmaker representing Obingwa/Osisioma/Ugwunagbo has zero bills to his credit in three years.
He was elected on the platform of the PDP and currently serving his second term.
The 62-year-old Abia North Senator is the current Chief Whip of the Senate. A two-time governor of Abia State, he has twenty-five bills standing in his name.They include:
- A Bill For An Act To Amend The Administration Of Criminal Justice Act 2015 And Other Related Matters Bill 2020;
- A Bill For An Act To Establish The National Food Bank And To Provide For Matters Connected With Or Incidental To The Foregoing, Bill 2021
- A Bill For An Act To Alter The Constitution Of The Federal Republic Of Nigeria 1999 (As Amended) To Provide That The Federal Government And The State Governments Shall Have Concurrent Legislative Powers On Railway, And To Provide For Matters Related Thereto 2021.
The Senator representing Abia Central in the National Assembly has ten bills to his name in the last three years. Like Senator Kalu, he is also a former governor of the state but a member of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).
READ ALSO: Fact File: Performance Scorecards of Ex-Governors at the 9th Assembly
At the inauguration of the Senate in 2019, he was appointed by his party; the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), as Leader of the Minority Caucus, a position he held until he lost out in his bid to secure the PDP gubernatorial ticket for the 2023 Elections. Having faced stiff opposition from the power brokers in the party, he backed out from the race and defected to the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).
Editor’s Note: OrderPaper’s appraisal of lawmakers in the core areas of lawmaking is without prejudice to the lawmaker’s performance in the areas of oversight and representation.
Ojochenemi Onje-James
Ojochenemi Onje-James is a research writer and journalist with years of proven footprints in areas of crime and politics. She has a M.Sc in International Relations and Strategic Studies as well as a B.Sc in Mass Communication.
