The Senate, on Tuesday, passed a bill to empower the
National Assembly and State Assemblies to summon the President and State
Governors to answer questions bothering on security or any other issues on
which the National and State Houses of Assembly have powers to make laws.
The bill seeks alteration to Section 67 of the Principal Act
by inserting after subsection (3), a new subsection (4).
The new subsection (4) provides: “Nothing in this section
shall preclude the National Assembly from summoning the President of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria to attend a joint session of the National Assembly
to answer questions on national security or any issue whatsoever, over which
the National Assembly has powers to make laws”.
The bill further seeks to alter Section 108 of the Principal
Act to insert a new subsection (4) to provide: “Nothing in this section shall
preclude the House of Assembly of the State from summoning the Governor of the
State to attend a sitting of the House of Assembly to answer questions on
security or on any issue whatsoever, over which the House of Assembly has
powers to male laws.”
Out of a total of 93 registered Senators, 77 voted in favour
of the bill to summon the President and Governors, 13 against and 1 lawmaker
abstaining, bringing total votes to 91.
The chamber also approved a bill to include Presiding
Officers on the membership of the National Security Council.
It also passed a bill to make it an offence, and to provide
for the possible conviction of any person who refuses to honour the summons of
the National Assembly or any of its committees.
The bill seeks to alter Section 129 of the Principal Act to
insert after subsection (2), a new subsection (3).
The new section provides: “Notwithstanding anything to the
contrary in this Constitution, any person who after having been summoned to
attend, fails, refuses or neglects to do so and does not excuse such failure,
refusal or neglect to the satisfaction of the House or the Committee in
question, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to such punishment as
shall be prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly.
The chamber, however, turned down a bill to provide for more
seats for women in the National and State Houses of Assembly.
Also rejected were bills to alter Part I of the Second
Schedule to the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to include Value Added Tax on
the Exclusive Legislative List; Removal of Transitional Law-making Powers of
the Executive; to provide for Diaspora voting; to grant Mayoralty Status for
the FCT, and appointment of Minister from the FCT.
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