Election sequence: Senate begins process to override Buhari
The Senate yesterday commenced move to override President Muhammadu Buhari on the amendment to the 2010 electoral act.
A bill to that effect tagged:” Electoral Act 2010 (Amendment) Bill, 2018 (SB.645)” sponsored by Senator Suleiman Nazifi (APC, Bauchi) was introduced during yesterday’s plenary session.
The bill, according to sources close to the leadership of the Senate was a step towards overriding President Buhari on the electoral act. The bill has scaled first reading.
The source who does not want to be named said with the introduction of the bill, they have gone a step further towards overriding the president on the amendment made to the electoral act.
“This is not a fresh move to amend the electoral act; it is the beginning of the override. The bill will be returned for second reading and afterward, it will be passed for third reading.
“It is during the third reading that the override proper will be carried out. Rather than passing the bill for third reading, a vote would be taken on the override. It wouldn’t be transmitted to the President again,” he said.
The source said the President has started a process that must be completed with the letter he wrote to the National Assembly rejecting the amendment.
“If the President had wanted us to back out on the amendment, he should have reached out to President Bukola Saraki and the Speaker Yakubu Dogara on the matter. But he went ahead to write a letter, rejecting the bill.
“With that letter, he (Buhari) has started a process and we must complete it. Today’s bill is the completion of that process and not a new bill,” he said.
Meanwhile, the move to override the president has polarised the Senate. A Pro- Buhari lawmaker said a total of 42 senators have threw their weight behind action of the President on the electoral act.
A list made available to our correspondent showed that the group has Abia 0 Adamawa 3, Anambra 1, Akwa Ibom 1, Bauchi 0, Benue 1, Bayelsa 0, Borno 1, Cross River 1, Delta 0, Ebonyi 1, Edo 1, Enugu 0, Ekiti 0, FCT 0 and Gombe 0.
Others are Imo 2, Jigawa 2, Kaduna 1, Kano 2, Katsina 3, Kebbi 1, Kogi 0, Kwara 0, Lagos 3, Nasarawa 1 Niger 1, Ondo 3, Osun 2, Oyo 2, Ogun 2, Plateau 2, Rivers 2, Sokoto 0, Taraba 1, Yobe 2 and Zamfara 0.
Section 58(5) of the 1999 Constitution reads: “Where the President withholds his assent and the bill is again passed by each House by two-thirds majority, the bill shall become law and the assent of the President shall not be required.”
While the 2/3rd of the Senate is 73 that of the House is 240. The antiBuhari senator requires 73 to make do their threat and pro-Buhari senators only require 37 thwart the move.