The National Assembly has vowed
to override President Muhammadu Buhari’s veto on the Electoral Act Amendment
Bill.
The bill seeks to re-order the
sequence of the polls during general elections starting from the 2019 polls.
The Senate has made its intention
to exercise its veto powers should Buhari withhold assent on the bill known.
The House of Representatives had
earlier said the lawmakers would not hesitate to override the President’s
decision if he vetoed the bill.
The Chairman of the House
Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Abdulrazak Namdas, told Punch that
members would not change their minds on the Electoral Act as amended.
He said that the National
Assembly expected the President to append his signature to the bill.
He had said, “We are serious
about this issue and we are not ready to reverse it.
“For now, the bill has gone to
Mr. President and we are waiting for his response. If his response is that he
won ’t sign, we are ready to override his veto.
“I can assure you that in both
chambers of the National Assembly, we will get the required two – thirds
majority to override the veto.”
Confirming the uniformity of the
choice by the two chambers, the Deputy Chairman of the Senate Committee on
Media and Public Affairs, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, also told the newspaper
that the lawmakers were set to override the President on the bill.
Senator Ben Bruce said the
position of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on the
amendment was “irrelevant” to the National Assembly and its legislative
functions.
According to him, “If you
understand the principle of separation of powers, you will see that is not
necessary. We make laws for the country.
“That is our job, to make laws.
We make the law and they obey it. It is non-negotiable.
“We make laws for the country and
everybody including the executive must obey the laws we make. It is not for
them to decide which laws to obey or which ones to accept or not.
“If the bill is not signed within
30 days, then we will override it. It is not important if the President signs
it or not.
“Once it is 30 days, we will
override it. It is irrelevant. They have just 30 days. If he vetoes it in 30
days, we will override him.”
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