Senate sends 12 constitution alteration bills for President Buhari’s assent

The Senate on Tuesday cleared 12 bills, which it said would be forwarded to President Muhammadu Buhari for his assent.

The upper legislative chamber said the bills have met the requirements of the provisions of Section 9 of the Constitution.

The bills had been passed and meant to be processed in line with the Acts Authentication Act before transmission to the President.

They include Constitution (Fourth Alteration) Bills No 2 (Authorization of Expenditure in absence of Appropriation); No 4 (Financial Autonomy of State legislatures); No 8 (The Legislature); No 9 (Political parties and Electoral Matters); No 15 (The Nigeria Police Force); No 16 (Restriction of Tenure of President and Governor); No 20 (Submission from the Judiciary); and No 21 (Determination of Pre-Election Matters).

Others are Constitution (Fourth Alteration) Bills No 22 (Consequential Amendment on Civil Defence); No 24 (Procedure for Overriding Presidential Veto in Constitutional Alteration); No 27 (Reduction of Age for Election); andNo 28 (Time Line for the Presentation of Appropriation Bill) respectively.

The Senate said notwithstanding the resolution of some State Houses of Assembly on some of the bills, the action, it noted, would enable the institutions of government prepare for immediate implementation of policies and programmes pursuant to the provisions.

It was sponsored by the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu and 49 others.

Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan who presented the motion on behalf of Ekweremadu said in processing the alterations, the Senate took cognizance of the provisions of Section 9 of the Constitution as amended.

According to him 33 bills seeking to alter various provisions of the constitution were presented before the Senate and the House of Representatives in July 2017.

Lawan recalled that the Senate approved 29 of the bills with the required two-thirds majority of members, adding that the House of Representatives also approved 21 of the bills with same.

The Senate leader noted that the two chambers approved 17 of the bills without difference and were transmitted to the State Houses of Assembly for their resolution.

He added that four of the bills were approved with amendment and have been committed to a conference committee for further action in line with legislative tradition.

Senate Lawan said 35 state Houses of Assembly had forwarded their resolutions on most of the bills.

When Ekweremadu, who presided over the plenary put the resolution into voice votes, it was unanimously approved by majority of senators in attendance.

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