Senate in final battle with President

Senators will today begin the process of overriding President Goodluck Jonathan’s veto of the constitution amendment.

There is pressure on them not to go that way.

The President rejected the amendments carried out by the lawmakers, claiming that they did  not follow the constitutionally-laid down procedure for such an amendment in addition to sidestepping the powers of the President.

The Supreme Court also granted an order stopping the lawmakers from overriding the presidential veto, pending the determination of a suit initiated to resolve the imbroglio.

But the senators said the judiciary lacks the power to prevent it from  carrying out its constitutional duties.

Yesterday, although the first reading of the Bill on “Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Fourth Alteration) Act 2015” was listed on the Senate Order Paper, it was shelved.

The item listed as first on the order of Business of the Day had Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and 46 others as sponsors.

Ekweremadu is the Chairman, Senate ad hoc committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

Without offering any explanation, Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba moved a motion that the first reading of the controversial Constitution amendment Bill be deferred to another legislative day.

The first reading of the Bill, which has been passed by the two chambers of the National Assembly would have marked the beginning of the process to override the President’s veto by the upper chamber.

The National Assembly on Monday gazetted the Fourth Alterations of the Constitution to pave the way to override President Jonathan’s veto.

The Gazetted copy of the Fourth Alterations of the Constitution obtained by our correspondent is entitled “National Assembly Journal No 06 vol.12 dated 6th May, 2015, with a long title: “A Bill for an Act to further alter the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, and for other related matters.”

It is listed as “Bill No SB 548”, containing all the alterations of the Constitution adopted and passed by the National Assembly.

Gazetting of the document is preparatory to a fresh passage of the Bill after it must have scaled first, second and third readings – in line with legislative practice.

Speaking on why the slated first reading of the Bill was stepped down yesterday, a source said the absence of Senate President David Mark was responsible.

Mark was away at the Presidential Villa attending the Council of State meeting.

Another source said “intense pressure is being mounted on the National Assembly from outside to reconsider the move to override Mr. President’s veto.”

The source added that “ some highly placed Nigerians have been making frantic efforts to convince the National Assembly to take a second look at the reasons Mr. President gave for with holding his assent.”

‘We are not unmindful of the implications of the actions we want to take. In the end, common sense will prevail. For now we are determined to do the needful because time is not on our side. We have taken the first step by gazetting the alterations. The days ahead will tell how far we can go. We are not fighting anybody. There is nothing personal in what we are doing.”

Jonathan had predicated his reasons for withholding his assent on the claim that the National Assembly failed to follow due process in the process of altering provisions of the Constitution.

The National Assembly’s push to override the President’s veto is also based on the feeling that if it failed to override the President’s veto, the Bill would have elapsed at the expiration of the Seventh National Assembly before the Supreme Court would decide the matter.