The House of Representatives on Thursday,
resolved to review the Peace Corps Bill and consider reasons given by President
Muhammadu Buhari for not signing it, before deciding what to do next.
In a unanimous decision, the
House also considered another 21 bills yet to be assented to by the president.
The 22 bills (including the Peace
Corps Bill) were either rejected or not responded to by the president.
The resolution was sequel to a
point of order on Thursday, where Hon Uzomma Nkem-Abonta (Abia), drew the
attention of the House to the 22 bills that were transmitted to the president
at various times which he did not sign.
He quoted various sections of the
Constitution which mandates the National Assembly to override the president if
he fails to assent a bill after 30 days.
He urged the House to look at the
bills that were transmitted to the president, and see if the reasons he gave
were good enough.
“The constitution says the
rejected bills will come back to the House for us to look at it, veto it or
otherwise,” he said.
Ruling over the matter, Speaker
Yakubu Dogara mandated the Chairman, House Committee on Rules and Business to
schedule a date when the House will look at the bills again and see the reasons
given for not assenting, and decide on what to do.
The president had transmitted a
letter to the House of Representatives last week Tuesday, withholding his
assent to a Bill for an Act to establish the Nigerian Peace Corps.
He cited financial implications
and duplication of duties of existing security agencies, as reasons for
withholding his assent to the bill.
The National Assembly is
empowered by the provisions of section 58(5) of the 1999 Constitution as
amended, to override the president on Bills.
While the House requires 240
members to make up its two-thirds, the 109-member of Senate requires 73
Senators to veto the president’s assent.
Order 12(b)(c) of the Standing
Orders and Rules of the House of Representatives (2016) also provides that the
rejected Bill could be looked upon by the House (through a motion) and if
supported by two-thirds of the Reps, the Bill is proclaimed law without the
assent of the president.
Already, investigation has
revealed that, over 180 Reps members had given support to overriding the
President on the Bill.
Senator Dino Melaye, had also, on
Wednesday, raised a point of order, where he called on President Buhari to
recall the Bill and sign it, otherwise, the Senate would test its
constitutional power on the Bill.
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