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NASS begins 1999 constitution amendment process

By Seye Olumide
18 June 2016   |   4:50 am
The National Assembly has heaped the blames for the set back recorded in previous moves to develop a workable constitution for the country on former President Goodluck Jonathan-led government.
Ekweremadu

Ekweremadu

Blames Jonathan For Failure Of Past Moves
The National Assembly has heaped the blames for the set back recorded in previous moves to develop a workable constitution for the country on former President Goodluck Jonathan-led government.

Members of the National Assembly, comprising lawmakers from both the senate and the House of Representatives, who converged in Lagos yesterday during a two-day retreat organised by the Senate Ad-Hoc Committee on Constitution Review for the amendment of the 1999 Constitution said the process would have gone farther if Jonathan had not withheld his assent.

The Deputy President of the Senate and Chairman, Senate Committee on Review of the 1999 Constitution, Senator Ike Ekweremadu made the disclosure during the retreat titled: “Towards Ensuring Governance, Accountability In Nigerian Federalism,” held at the Eko Hotels and Suits yesterday.

While declaring the retreat open, President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, said constitution amendment has always been a challenging task, noting that it was a road every country of the world, including the United States had passed through.

He explained that the amendments being sought now were not aimed at denting the integrity of the 1999 Constitution, but rather targeted at strengthening it to serve the interest of Nigerians better.

Saraki expressed delight in the collaboration of the Senate, House of Representatives and the States House of Assembly, which he described as three critical stakeholders as far as amendment of the constitution is concerned.

Ekweremadu told the array of political leaders, legal and constitutional personalities and Nigerians that participated at the opening ceremony session that the National Assembly would not have been constrained to embark on another process of constitutional review if the Jonathan-led government had not bungled the exercise and rubbished efforts made by the Seventh National Assembly.

According to him, “although the National Assembly reliably gathered that former President Goodluck Jonathan assented to the Fourth Alteration Bill, we were surprised to get a letter from the former President before he left office stating clearly that he was returning the Bill, but failing to attach the original Bill being returned.”

He added: “The National Assembly was dragged to the Supreme Court by the Attorney-General of the Federation to prevent us from overriding the presidential veto.

“The Supreme Court later asked us to meet and resolve our differences out of court, which we did and returned the Bill to the Presidency for approval, but only for it to renege on signing the Bill before the expiration of President’s tenure.

“While we carried on with all patriotic consideration, little did we know they were buying time. So, it can be clearly seen that the inability of the Fourth Alteration to become part of our constitution was not in any way the fault of the National Assembly. The rest is history.”

In the new rapprochement, Ekweremadu said the focus of Fourth Alteration Bill would be the removal of Presidential Assent to Constitution Amendment Bills, saying: “A bill to amend any portion of the constitution is not an ordinary bill.”

He noted: “It is the only bill that requires the two-thirds majority of each Chamber of the National Assembly to pass in the first instance. It is also the only bill that requires the approval of two-thirds of the States Assembly to pass. Presidential veto of a bill to amend the constitution makes a jest of the philosophy of sovereignty, which is that power belongs to the people, and that the people exercise this sovereignty through their representatives in parliament.”

The Senator representing Lagos East senatorial district, Mr. Gbenga Ashafa said it is necessary for the Senate to take up the task of amending the constitution now going by the various security, economic and socio-political issues confronting the country.

According to him, “the recent happenings of the several oil pipeline installations bombing by the Niger Delta Avengers, the Fulani herdsmen killings, among others, are seriously challenging the foundation of the nation’s unity and the best way to address this is to look critically at the constitution for the purpose of amending it.”

8 Comments

  • Author’s gravatar

    [Ekweremadu told the array of political leaders, legal and constitutional personalities and Nigerians that participated at the opening ceremony session that the National Assembly would not have been constrained to embark on another process of constitutional review if the Jonathan-led government had not bungled the exercise and rubbished efforts made by the Seventh National Assembly.

    According to him, “although the National Assembly reliably gathered that former President Goodluck Jonathan assented to the Fourth Alteration Bill, we were surprised to get a letter from the former President before he left office stating clearly that he was returning the Bill, but failing to attach the original Bill being returned.”

    He added: “The National Assembly was dragged to the Supreme Court by the Attorney-General of the Federation to prevent us from overriding the presidential veto.

    “The Supreme Court later asked us to meet and resolve our differences out of court, which we did and returned the Bill to the Presidency for approval, but only for it to renege on signing the Bill before the expiration of President’s tenure.]

    Whatever was the reasons for the suspension or delay Dr. Jonathan was probably bidding for time so that he will get the Confab recommendation, which he considered necessary to be read or considered along with whatever the NASS members have in mind for the amendment exercise – the Confab recommendations representing the minds of the people, which is to be regarded as the ultimate and not the NASS members! So, the important aspect of it all is that the amendment exercise will now ideally begin in earnest and will be expected to incorporate the Confab recommendations since the people have spoken just like in the Philadelphia incident in the US. 1787, folks! We shall now see how willing, informed and diligent President M. Buhari’s administration and his advisers are about the decisions of the people, folks! !

    • Author’s gravatar

      Well said. Kindly remove the first 4 paragraphs of your comment (or at the very least drastically shorten it). You just made an excellent point but buried it in a sea of words.

    • Author’s gravatar

      The Jonathan Confab never emanated from the representative of the people! This is how you people weave “wuru-wuru” to get an answer! For starters, the delegates to that Confab were all hand-picked by Jonathan and his ilk, and were not elected, so, they were only mostly representatives of the Jonathan presidency or those he favoured, or in his pocket.

      Secondly, there was no act of Parliament or law authorizing the confab, and the funds spent/wasted on it were never appropriated by the NASS or even as much as budgeted for, so the exercise was actually illegal and fraudulent from the start. Jonathan was warned accordingly especially by the polity then in opposition, but he wouldn’t listen, and he ignored all sensible voices against his ill-fated agenda.

      More important, and to add insult to injury, the deliberations and report emanating from that so-called confab was roundly rejected by most regions of the country. This can be further deduced from the trashing of all Jonathan represented in the polity of the country with his landslide defeat at hands of the then opposition at the National poll of 2015, which ushered in the current administration.

      That Jonathan confab was dead on arrival. Those mostly in the minority making noise promoting its “outcome,” are just wasting their time, TBH. Just deal with it. Jonathan ignored pre-existing, even better-viewed confab reports, just to waste resources and organize his own sham one, and some expect it (Jonathan’s own) to get a decent mileage? It will not happen. Again, please deal with it.

      Those that have ears, let them hear.

      P34c3
      …..

  • Author’s gravatar

    These guys seem to be doing something useful for the first time

    • Author’s gravatar

      Something useful indeed.

      Can they alter the fabrics of the constitution and make Nigeria a federation?
      Collapse the sole control of police at Fed
      Remake the 36 states into independent resource generating subunions…..

      More than courage is needed

  • Author’s gravatar

    Fans praise before the battle. They have not started but they are already singing praises. Ekweremadu is looking for sympathy from PMB. but he might not be willing to sign an amended Constitution. Mark my words.

  • Author’s gravatar

    duwdu – That is why you people are cowards in Nigeria you don’t know which way to go in Nigeria therefore your problems not only keep evolving but growing unabated we just pray for you people for God to help you! Sooner or later who no know go know what you need to do in that country – your population is on the increase and like you say: He who has eyes and ears should not only see but should hear about the rumblings in the horizon! Your name is probably Daudu and we used to read about Dauwdu Kazi in those good old days in Nigeria, folks!

  • Author’s gravatar

    BroVic – Thank you, I do this on purpose to jog the minds of all those who cannot comprehend the contents of some of the features! So, as long as Vanguard will oblige us with space unlike its counterpart – Sahara group, Nigerians need to be told what the articles bear sometimes – i.e. the nitty-gritty!