A joint sitting brings together all members of the National Assembly and the Senate. Under Article 54 of the Constitution, the President may summon either House or both Houses in joint sitting at such time and place as he thinks fit. While joint sittings are primarily used to break bicameral deadlock on legislation, they may also be called for other purposes, including the President’s mandatory annual address to Parliament.
The President summons joint sittings in most circumstances. The Speaker, however, summons a joint sitting independently when a resolution for the removal or impeachment of the President is to be considered.
At a joint sitting, the Speaker of the National Assembly presides. Decisions are taken by a majority of members present and voting, except where the Constitution specifies a higher threshold. The total membership of both Houses is currently 432 — 336 from the National Assembly and 96 from the Senate.
Why it matters for the National Assembly proceedings?
The numerical composition of a joint sitting means that the National Assembly, with 336 of the 432 total members, carries significantly greater weight than the Senate. A government commanding a National Assembly majority may, even if it is in minority in the Senate, prevail in a joint sitting. This is a deliberate constitutional design to resolve bicameral deadlock in favour of the directly elected lower house. However, the actual outcome depends on the parliamentary parties’ relative strength in each House and whether coalition dynamics differ between the two chambers.
What is in it for citizens?
When news reports describe legislation being passed in a joint sitting, citizens should understand that this means the two Houses disagreed initially — one passed the bill, the other rejected or failed to pass it in the same form — and the dispute was resolved by the combined vote. FAFEN tracks the use of joint sittings and the bills passed through them as part of its parliamentary observation work.
Source: Rule 155, Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007
The proceedings of the National Assembly are governed by the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007. The current rules were passed on 23 February 2007 and have since been amended 22 times, most recently on 9 March 2026.
This post is part of FAFEN’s series on parliamentary literacy. Read more of this series here.
