Says it’s not on collision course with Buhari on INEC bill
By Christiana Ekpa and Umar Muhammad Puma
The House Representative yesterday said, the National Assembly has kick started the process to override President Muhammad Buhari veto power on the Nigerian Peace Corps and 9 Other Bills which he withheld assents to.
This was even as the Green Chamber equally disclosed that it is not on a collision course with the President on the re- ordering of the independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) timetable for the forthcoming general elections.
Other bills he listed include a bill for an Act to Establish the Chartered Institute of Treasury Management, a bill for an act to Establish the Nigerian Council for Social Works, a bill for an act to amend the currency conversion, Freezing orders act to give discretionary powers to the judge of high court to order for forfeiture of assets of affected persons, and a bill for an act to establish the police procurement fund.
Others are a bill for an act to amend the Environmental Health officers Council Registration Act, a bill for an act to Establish the Chartered Institute of Loan and Risk Management of Nigeria, a bill for an act to Establish the Chartered Institute of Public Management of Nigeria.
Also included are a bill for an act to Establish the Chartered Institute of Exports and Community Brokers of Nigeria and a bill for an act to Establish the Federal University, Wukari.
The spokesperson of the House, and the chairman House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Abdulrazak Namdas disclosed this at a briefing with newsmen in National Assembly Complex, Abuja .
According to Namdas, the house has agreed with president Buhari on two clauses of the most recent electoral bills which he withheld assent to.
Quoting section 4 sub 22 and section 76 of the constitution, Namdas said that the National Assembly has the power to amend the electoral act,
He said though the house agrees with the president Buhari on two out of the clauses that made him decline assent to the bill, noting that the House will expunge the two areas from the electoral Act, make it go through the full circle of lawmaking and retransmit to the president for assent.
“As a responsible parliament have looked at the reasons given by the president on why he withheld his assent to the electoral bill, “However we agreed with president on two reasons questioned by him; that is the amendment of the session 138 of the principal Act to delete two crucial ground upon which an elections may be challenged by a candidate in an election to a free and fair election
“ The amendment to session 152 (3-5) of the principal act which raises constitutional issues over the competence of the National Assembly to legislate over local government elections
“We agree with the president on the first and second clause he gave but we have also disagreed with the third clause which he claimed we have no powers to amend the electoral act.
“ However, we disagreement with the president over first reason which stated that amendment to the seqence of the elections in section 25 of the principal act
“That is why we will look at the bill again correct those errors the president pointed out and send the bill back to him, if he still withholds his assent then we will know what next to do, he said.
Speaking further on the 10 bill that the house is set to veto the president on, Nmadas said that the 10 bills exclude the electoral act but includes the Nigeria Peace Corps bill.
