WorldStage– Both chambers of Nigeria’s National Assembly have again adjourned plenary sessions, after about three months of off duty, to honor Representative Muhammad Danjuma Hassan, who represented the Dawakin Kudu/Warawa Federal Constituency of Kano State.
The adjournment makes it a cumulative 93 days recess taken by National Assembly in just the first quarter.
Hassan passed away on Friday evening, April 10, 2026, in Abuja at the age of 66 following a period of illness.
The adjournment follows a long-standing tradition of the National Assembly to suspend proceedings upon the death of a sitting member.
At the time of his death, Hassan was the Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Judiciary.
He was also a notably active member of the Constitution Review Committee and several others, including Aviation, Solid Minerals, and Public Petitions.
He was elected to the 10th Assembly in 2023 on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
Before his election, Hassan was a veteran of the National Assembly bureaucracy, having served for decades and retiring as a Permanent Secretary.
He was widely respected as one of Nigeria’s foremost legislative counsel and legal draftsmen.
Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin and Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu led their respective chambers in observing a minute of silence before the adjournment.
In 2026, the cumulative 93-day recess taken by Nigeria’s National Assembly in just the first quarter is considered highly improper by legal and constitutional standards.
The 1999 Constitution mandates that the National Assembly must sit for at least 181 days per year.
By the end of March 2026, lawmakers had sat for only 17 days out of a possible 90. This means they spent approximately 77% of the first quarter on recess.
To meet the constitutional minimum, the Assembly must sit for at least 164 to 165 more days before December 2026, a target described by observers as difficult due to the tightening 2027 political calendar.
Prolonged breaks have delayed critical laws, including the 2026 Appropriation Act (not passed until late March) and the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill.
Frequent adjournments for budget defense and festivities have been criticized for weakening the legislature’s moral authority to demand discipline from other government agencies.Advocacy groups and media outlets have labeled the trend as institutional detachment and a betrayal of the social contract.
