Electoral Act: NASS Plans To Override President Buhari This Week – Sen Olujimi

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There were strong indications on Saturday evening that the Senate would,
this week, begin the process to override President Muhammadu Buhari’s
decision to withhold his assent to the 2018 Electoral Act amendment
bill.

Senate spokesperson, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, said that
the red chamber had rejected Buhari’s reasons for declining assent to
the legislation and would do everything possible to override his action.

A
cross-section of the senators, said on the issue on Saturday, vowed to
make Buhari’s position a major issue on resumption of plenary on
Tuesday.

They vowed to ensure that to ensure that all the
amendments made to the new electoral act formed part of what the
Independent National Electoral Commission would comply with in the
conduct of the 2019 polls.

But there are other indications that
as Senate President Bukola Saraki and the Speaker, House of
Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, prepare to read the letter to members in
plenary at their respective chambers on Tuesday, the lawmakers are set
for a stormy debate on the matter.

Accordingly to SUNDAY PUNCH
can authoritatively report that Buhari’s decision has polarised members
of the National Assembly across political lines.

While members of
the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress, have expressed their
support for the President, those of the opposition PDP alleged an
ulterior motive behind the withholding of the assent by the President.

Already,
the Majority and Minority Leaders of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan
and Senator Biodun Olujimi, said on Saturday that the matter would be
discussed when the lawmakers reconvene, after which a decision would be
taken on the bill.

Olujimi said that the federal parliament
approved the huge budget proposed by the INEC for the election because
of the anticipated electronic voting being planned by the electoral
umpire.

Olujimi said, “This is because 70 per cent of the INEC
budget has to do with the funding of card readers and other equipment
needed for the election.

“We are going back to the chamber on
Tuesday to look at the reasons for the President’s rejection and we will
do our best to override his assent because the Electoral Act
(amendments) bill is the best thing that can happen to our election in
Nigeria.

“It is not only the opposition senators who would
override the President. We would work on our colleagues in the ruling
APC, most of whom are disgruntled that their party denied them tickets
to return to the Senate.”

Another senator from the North-West
geopolitical zone, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also
corroborated the position of Olujimi, describing Buhari’s reasons as
untenable.

He said, “It is possible that we start the process to
override the President’s assent when we resume on Tuesday. I can assure
you that it will be on the front burner of our proceedings. It will be a
major issue and I am very sure that it is going to generate a lot of
debate.

“If you look at the equation these days, many of our
colleagues don’t come to the National Assembly again because of
campaigns. So, it is really not impossible to get two-thirds majority to
override the President’s assent.

“If the decision to override
the President did not take place on Tuesday, it will certainly be done
on Wednesday when we would enjoy the privilege of the NTA live coverage
of our proceedings.”

Also, a senator from the South-East
geopolitical zone, who also spoke off record, alleged that Buhari
withheld assent to the bill because he did not want the usage of card
readers in the North where a lot of Permanent Voter Card had allegedly
been procured for underage voters.

The senator stated, “If INEC
should make use of the card reader in northern Nigeria, we would
demystify their bogus claims that they have the majority of voters in
that part of the country.

“They can write any figure and declare
it if there is no electronic accreditation of voters. The moment the
‘already-biased’ INEC officials signed the fraudulent election result
sheets, we would not be able to do anything on them.”

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