SAN FRANCISCO, November 07, (THEWILL) – The House of Representatives, Thursday, commenced the process to veto President Goodluck Jonathan on 36 bills passed and transmitted to him by the National Assembly.
In doing so, the House mandated its Committee on Rules and Business to review the bills with a view to ascertaining those that can be made law.
The mandate was given yesterday following the adoption of a motion brought by Hon. Yakubu Dogara (PDP, Bauchi) on the “need for both chambers of National Assembly to activate their constitutional powers under section 58 (1) (g) of the 1999 constitution in relation to bills over which the President has failed to exercise his constitutional responsibilities and powers under section 58 (1) (4)”.
While presenting the motion, Dogara noted that section 58 (1) (4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) requires that all Bills passed by the two chambers of the National Assembly be transmitted to the President for assent and he was aware that a total of 36 Bills have been transmitted to the President for assent which are still pending or left to stagnate in his office without exercising his Constitutional powers
He submitted that allowing the Bills to stagnate without any indication from the President as to whether he assents or withholds assent is a manifest violation of the provision of section 58 (1) (4) of the Constitution which makes it mandatory for the President to within 30 days of the presentation of such Bills to him, signify that he assents or that he withholds assent.
Dogara argued that ” if nothing is done to check this violation of the Constitution; the 7th Assembly would be the only Assembly, since the advent of democracy, with the inglorious history of not successfully translating most of its Bills into law.”
The motion was however opposed by Hon. Simon Arabo (PDP, Kaduna), Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers), who argued that since the president has not written officially to the National Assembly conveying his refusal to assent, no action should be taken yet.
But a further explanation by the chairman, Rules and Business Committee, Hon. Albert Sam-Tsokwa, to the effect that there was no need to activate the said provisions because it has never been inactive brought some respite.
Following the submission of the Deputy House Leader, Hon. Leo Ogor (PDP, Delta), Aminu Shehu Shagari (PDP, Sokoto) and Abubakar Momoh (APC, Edo), the Speaker, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, ruled that the Rules and Business Committee reviews the bills and ascertain which requires overriding of assent.
“Some of the bills that were read by Dogara were actually passed by the 6th Assembly. Therefore, we have to determine the position of the law on such bills because some have been re-introduced. This motion at best I can clearly say is a wakeup call to both the President and the National Assembly. If there is anything that the President has not done, he should wake up and if there is anything that we have failed to do, we should do the needful”, the Speaker said.
Saint Mugaga, Abuja
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