The Senate has commenced the process of overriding President Muhammadu Buhari’s veto on the budget timeline bill.
The bill, which was earlier rejected by President Buhari, seeks to amend the 1999 Constitutional by making it mandatory for the President and Governor of a state to lay the annual budget estimates before parliament, three months to the end of a financial year.
It also compels the Parliament to pass the annual budget before the commencement of the next financial year.
Tagged: SB. 733, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Fourth Alteration, No. 28) Bill, the proposed legislation, which scaled First Reading on Tuesday, passed Second Reading during Wednesday plenary.
The bill is sponsored by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu (PDP, Enugu).
It would be recalled that President Buhari had in 2018 declined assent to the constitution amendment bill on the grounds that Section 2 (b) and 3 (b) of the proposal ‘appear not to take full cognizance of the provisions of Section 58 (4) of the 1999 constitution’.
However, the Senate recently adopted the report of its Technical Committee on Declined Assent to Bills by the President.
While rejecting the President’s submission, the David Umaru-led panel had posited that the bill was not in conflict with the 1999 constitution, as claimed by the President.
The purpose of the bill, the Committee had explained, was to ensure that Nigeria reverts to the January to December budget cycle.
“It should be understood that this Bill seeks to make it mandatory for Mr. President and Governor of a State to cause to be prepared and laid before parliament, estimates of the revenues and expenditure of the Federation for the next following financial year, not later than ninety (90) days to the end of a financial year. And for the parliament to pass the Appropriation Bill before the commencement of the next financial year.
“The legislative intent behind this Bill Is to ensure that we run a normal financial year. From the wordings of the provisions, there was no stipulation that Mr. President must assent to any Bill within a specified period.
“Therefore, the provision of section 58(4), which Mr. President made reference to, does not apply in this regard. On the whole, we respectfully submit that the Bill is not in conflict with the provision of section 58(4) of the Constitution as implied by Mr. President.
“It is therefore, our concerted view that the Senate should override Mr. President’s veto,” the report read.
Five other constitution amendment bills earlier rejected by the President, also passed Second Reading on Wednesday.
Unlike the budget timeline bill, which will not require presidential assent if it scales through in both Senate and the House of Representatives, the five other bills will be re-presented to the President for assent if approved by the National Assembly.
Section 58 (5) of the 1999 Constitution provides that two-third of both legislative chambers of the National Assembly (73 senators and 240 members of House of Representatives) are required to override the President’s veto.
Senate President, Bukola Saraki who presided over the session on Wednesday, referred all the bills to the Committee on Constitutional Review.
He, however, did not give the Committee timeframe to submit its report.
