Buhari Rejects NASS Bill On Power To Summon President, Governor

President Muhammadu Buhari has refused to assent to the Constitution Amendment Bill on power to summon the President and state governors.

The Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, who dropped the hint during plenary on Tuesday, lamented the refusal of the President to assent to the constitution alteration bill and 18 others.

President Buhari had on Friday last week, assented to 16 out of the 35 constitution alteration bills transmitted to him for assent by the National Assembly.

Informing the Senate in plenary on the presidential action, Lawan said out of the 35 constitution alteration bills forwarded to the President in January only 16 were assented to.

According to the Senate President, the most striking of the assented 16 bills was the Fifth Alteration Bill Number 6 which makes provisions for financial independence of State Houses of Assembly and Judiciary.

Lawan listed others to include those that dwell on power devolutions in the areas of moving railway services, correctional centres and power generation and distribution, from the exclusive list to concurrent list.

He, however, vowed that the 19 bills that were not assented to by the President will still be pursued vigorously by both chambers of the National Assembly for that purpose.

The first of such 19 bills not assented to by the President was the Fifth Alteration Bill Number 24 , which sought for an Act to Alter the Second Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Empower the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly to Summon the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Governors of States to Answer Questions on issues on which the National and State Houses of Assembly have the Powers to make.

Also Fifth Alteration Bill Number 7 which sought for an Act to Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to compel persons to obey or comply with Legislative Summons, was refused assent by the President.

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