By Christiana Ekpa
The Speaker of the House of Representatives Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila at the plenary Wednesday, gave reasons why the lawmakers stepped down a motion seeking to override President Muhammadu Buhari for failing to assent to the Section 84(8) of the Electoral Act (Amendment) bill, 2022, which provides for statutory delegates.
The Deputy Speaker, Hon. Idris Wase who presided over the plenary session, Tuesday had told the sponsor of the motion Hon. Ben Igbakpa that according to House rules, a motion cannot be used to override a Bill, hence he should stepdown it down and liaise with Chairman Rules and Business, Hon. Hassan Fulata to do the needful.
Revisiting Wase’s ruling, at the plenary Wednesday, Gbajabiamila stressed that according to order 12 rule 20 of the House rules, the lawmaker will present the matter as a substantive motion to be recommited or go by way of reintroducing the Bill again for first, second readings or you commit to committee of the whole for consideration.
He said, “There is no contradiction or difference between what the Deputy Speaker said yesterday and what i pronounced on Wednesday. They are one and the same. The combined reading and the Constitution and our rules. Honourable Igbakpa, I indeed said that you should come with a substantive motion. Can you read order 12 rule 20. This is a matter that has not been touched upon except for one of two instances, so it is important to give it clarity. I noticed that it was a subject of debate on Channels TV this morning.
“If you read that with the rest of our provisions in the rules and our constitution. You have to bring the bill back for consideration, but how do you bring the bill back? You have to bring the bill back by way of substantive motion. And you now recommitting it to perhaps the committee of the whole or in the alternative you go through the whole process again, first, second readings or you commit to committee of the whole for consideration. You still have to bring a substantive motion to bring the Bill back, not just by saying let us override. The Bill has to be brought back to the House. There is judicial interpretation in the National Assembly vs Attorney General.”
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