The House of Representatives on Tuesday adjourned plenary until Wednesday, July 8, to honour the late member representing Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency of Gombe State, Bauchi Tongo, who died last month.
The House, which had just resumed from its end-of-legislative-year recess, held only a brief sitting before suspending proceedings in line with the National Assembly’s tradition of paying tribute to deceased lawmakers.
Presiding over the session, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu led members in observing a minute of silence before announcing the adjournment.
Tongo, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, died in Abuja on June 12, 2026, after a brief illness at Nizamiye Hospital in the Federal Capital Territory.
During the short plenary, lawmakers offered prayers for the deceased, with Usman Kumo leading the Muslim prayers and Cyril Hart leading the Christian prayers.
Announcing the adjournment, Kalu urged members to attend the tribute session despite the absence of legislative business.
“Honourable members, we are adjourning today’s plenary in honour of our colleague, Hon. Bauchi Tongo, who passed on a few weeks ago. Even though we are not holding a plenary session today, members still need to come to honour one of our own because we don’t know when your turn will come. We pray that God will rest his soul,” he said.
The House subsequently adjourned plenary until Wednesday, July 8, when legislative business is expected to resume.
It is customary for both chambers of the National Assembly to suspend plenary following the death of a serving lawmaker as a mark of respect, with such sittings typically dedicated to tributes and prayers before normal proceedings continue.