Rivers: Senate defers voting on state of emergency to 3pm

The Senate has deferred voting on the state of emergency declared in Rivers State until 3 p.m.

The decision followed a motion moved by the Senate Leader, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele, and seconded by the Minority Leader, Sen. Abba Moro.

The matter, which was listed as the first order of the day, was unexpectedly stood down and postponed to 3 p.m., a decision endorsed by the majority of senators.

Findings by Tribune Online revealed that the decision was made to allow more senators to arrive in the chamber before the vote.

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The Senate requires a two-thirds majority of its total 109 members (73) to approve the declaration made by President Bola Tinubu.

At the time the Senate deferred the matter, efforts were made to ensure the required number of senators was present before proceeding with the vote.

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has 64 senators, but as of the time of reporting, fewer than 64 APC senators were present at the session.

Even if all 64 APC senators were in attendance, they would still need support from opposition senators to reach the required 73 votes to approve the President’s decision.