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The leadership of House of Representatives has unveiled plans to override President Muhammadu on 10 bills for which he declined assent over the past few months.
The bills are: A bill for an Act to establish Nigeria Peace Corps to develop, empower and provide gainful employment for the youths, facilitate peace, volunteerism, community service, neighbourhood watch and nation building and for related matters.
Others include: bill to establish the Chattered Institute if Treasury Management; Nigerian Council for Social Work; Curenfy Conversion (freezing orders) to give discretionary powers to the Judge of a High Court to order forfeiture of assets of affected persons and for related matters; establish Police Procurement Fund for procurement of law enforcement equipments and uniforms to assist the Nigerian Police Force in the protection of lives and property as well as bill for the establishment of Chartered institute of Loan and Risk Management of Nigeria to provide for the control and risk management in Nigeria.
Similarly, the House is to veto the President on the bills which seek to establish Chattered Institute of Export and Commodities Brokers of Nigeria; amendment of Environmental Health Officers (Registration, etc) and the bill which seeks to establish Federal University of Wukari and to make comprehensive provisions for the management and administration and for other related matters.
Abdulrasak Namdas, chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs disclosed this at a press briefing held at the National Assembly, Abuja.
He confirmed that the process of vetoing the President has commenced and that the progress report will be made public accordingly.
On the Electoral Act which was communicated to the House and the Senate, the Adamawa lawmaker explained that the House agreed with two out of three reasons adduced by Mr President for withholding his assent.
According to Namdas, the House agreed with the President that “the amendment to section 138 of the Principal Act to delete two crucial grounds upon which an election may be challenged unduly limits the rights if candidates in elections to a free and fair electoral review process.
He added that the House also aligned with the President that National Assembly lacks power to legislate over Local Government Areas as stipulated in section 152(3-5) of the Principal Act.
According to Buhari’s letter, the amendment section 152(3-5) of the Principal Act, may raise constitutional issues over the competence of the National Assembly to legislate over Local Government elections.”
He said: “you recall that I told you that we will not act on the Electoral Act until the President assents or withheld his assent.
“It is no longer news that the President has withheld his assent and stated his reasons for doing so. I want to say that as responsible Parliament, we have agreed with two of the three reasons given by the President.
“That is the amendment to section 138 of the Principal Act to delete two crucial grounds upon which an election may be challenged by candidates unduly limits the rights of candidates in election to a free and fair electoral review process.
“The amendments to section 152(3-5) of the Principal Act, which raises constitutional issue over the competence of the National Assembly to legislate over local government elections.
“However, we are in disagreement with the President over the first reason which states that amendment to the sequence of the elections in section 25 of the Principal Act may infringe upon the constitutional guaranteed discretion of INEC to organise, undertake and supervise all elections provided in section 15(a) of the Third Schedule to the Constitution.
“Our reasons for doing so are: section for legislative powers item 22 states that National Assembly has powers over election to the offices of President and Vice President or Governor and Deputy Governor and any other office to which a person may be elected under this Constitution, excluding election to a Local Government Council or any office in such Council.
“Section 76(1) of the Constitution states that election to each House of the National Assembly shall be held on a date to be appointed by the Independent National Electoral Commission in accordance with the Electoral Act.
“The entire Electoral Act in its entirety talks about organising election. If we do not have powers on how to organise election, then that means we do not have power to even pass the Electoral Act itself.
“If you could recall, INEC introduced card refer by regulation but the Supreme Court nullify it because it was not backed by legislation hence the reason why electronic transmission of results and electronic voting have been included in the current amendment of the Electoral Act.
“In view of these, we will re-gazette the Electoral Act and expunge the contentious areas and debate it as the procedure requires us and transmit it to the President for assent.
“However, we are in the process of overriding the veto if the President on 10 bills,” Namdas told Legislative Correspondents after the Wednesday plenary.
KEHINDE AKINTOLA, Abuja
