LEGISLATIVE PROCESSES, PROCEDURES AND PRACTICES

Legislative process and procedures is being defined as the ways of doing things to achieve it set goals which consist of a series of steps taken towards making laws. The steps would include application of rule or standing orders, customs, precedence (or things done in the past which are still being followed because they have stood the test of time) and speakers or chairman’s rulings (that is decisions given by a speaker or chairman that certain things be done in some defined ways).

A little of this collection of steps taken to bring about desired results is legislative practice. Thus for the legislative to succeed in its role of passing credible laws, these steps/procedures must be followed and these are:-

(a)Standing orders/Rules:-
A standing order is simply the rules put together and adopted by the legislative to guide the conduct of its members and direct the affairs of the entire legislative body.

(b)Customs:-
These are usages or what are usually done and passed and passed down from generation to generation and become permanently established as a way of doing things.
(c)Precedents:-
A precedent is a past instance that may serve as an example. For instance, if an incident happens while in the act of legislation and the house is bewildered as to what to do, it will go into records to see if a similar situation had arisen in the past.

(d)Speaker’s or chairman’s Rulings:
These are decisions of the presiding officer when faced with a situation for which provision has not been made in the standing orders and there is no precedent to fall back to, the presiding officer has to think fast (including) seeking the advice of the clerk of the house) for he must provide solution to the problem, so that the sitting of the House can continue.
(1) Procedure for opening and Summoning of the legislature (Nigerian)
The 1999 constitution mandates the National and State Houses of Assembly to sit for a period of not less than one hundred and eighty one (181) days in a year through the provisions of section 63 (National Assembly) and section 104 (State House of Assembly).

The usual or formal arrangement of public business of the Assembly on each sitting day to transact business is as follows:-
(1) Formal entry of Mr. Speaker
(2) Prayers
(3) Approval of votes and proceedings
(4) Oaths of Allegiance and the Oath Membership
(5) Message from the Governor or the president
(6) Other announcement by Mr. Speaker
(7) Petitions
(8) Matters of urgent public important
(9) Personal explanations
(10) Orders of the day.

Procedure for the Election of the speaker and the Deputy speaker (State Assembly)
In electrician presiding officers of the house certain procedures have to be followed.
(a) The clerk after having laid the list of members on table shall call for nominations for the post of the Speaker.
(b) The nomination must be seconded and the nominator must highlight the rear qualities of the candidates which qualified him for the position.
If there is more than one candidate nominated for the office, the voting becomes inevitable. This will call for appointment of two tellers for “Ayes” and for the “NOES” from among the members themselves assisted by the legislative staff appointed by the clerk.