THE Senate,yesterday, struck out proposals for a six year single term
for the president and governors even as it rejected agitation for local
government autonomy while passing the bill to alter the 1999
constitution.
Yesterday’s voting on the proposals of the Senator
Ike Ekweremadu-led Senate Committee on the Review of the Constitution,
was at one time interspersed with accusations of religious bigotry as
former Zamfara governor at one stage threatened a walk-out on the
allegation that the Senate president was not disposed to Islamic
interests.
Consideration of a similar report in the House of
Representatives was, however, not possible yesterday following
mutterings about poor circulation of the report to members.
The
senators also altered the constitution to allow automatic codification
into the law books of any bill passed by the president after 30 days in
the event of the president withholding assent or wielding the veto.
The
101 senators who were present at the session also upheld the
committee’s recommendation that election disputes be settled within 180
days and that election disputes be resolved before the inauguration into
the elective offices.
The Senators also threw out the
committee’s recommendation for a mayoral status for the Federal Capital
Territory and the proposal to split office of the Minister of Justice
and Attorney General of the Federation.
The Senate also adopted a recommendation that removed a presidential assent to any bill altering the constitution.
The
bill passed by the Senate also gave latitude for underage marriage as
it altered section 29, (4), (B) to allow for any woman who is married to
be deemed of full age.
The Senate nevertheless rejected moves
to include aviation and prison which are presently on the exclusive list
on the concurrent list. Recommendations to delete the National Youths
Service Corps and Public Complaints Commission from the Constitution
were equally rejected.
With the current position of the upper
legislative chamber, proponents of local financial autonomy for local
governments, six-year single term for president and state governors, as
well as mayoral status for the Federal Capital Territory, have
completely failed in their efforts at realizing their goal.
The
Senate equally okayed proposal for former Senate Presidents and Deputy
Senate Presidents, as well as former Speakers and Deputy Speakers of the
House of Representatives to enjoy life-time pension amounting to the
equivalent salary of the incumbent holders of such offices.
The upper Chamber killed the proposal for the removal of the National Security Agencies Act and the word ‘Force’ from the Nigeria Police Force which the proposal had sought to replace with the word “Service”.
It
also rose against the recommendation to transfer Prisons from the
Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List even as it
okayed the transfer of labour, pensions and railways, stamp duty,
health care, arbitration, agriculture, road safety and youths to the
Concurrent List.
The transfer of labour to the concurrent list if
approved by the House of Representatives and adopted by the states
could liberalise negotiations giving room for the states to negotiate
different minimum wages.
The proposal for removal of the Chief
Justice of Nigeria and other serving judicial officers as chairperson
and members respectively of the Federal Judicial Service Commission,
FJSC, was rejected.
The Ekweremadu led Constitution Review
Committee had recommended for the appointment of a retired Chief Justice
of Nigeria or retired President of the Court of Appeal as the chairman
of the FJSC, even as the lawmakers approved the proposal for direct
payment of funds to State Houses of Assembly, State Judiciary and State
Independent Electoral Commissions.
At the end of the exercise
which lasted for over five hours, emotion was high as religious and
ethnic sentiments came to play in a particular portion of the proposed
constitution, following allegation by both Senators Ahmad Sani Yerima,
ANPP- Zamfara West and Danjuma Goje, PDP, Gombe Central, that the Senate
President, Senator David Mark played double standard in the voting
process.
Senator Ahmad Sani in particular, accused the Senate
President for allowing a second vote on two issues raised by Senator
Ekweremadu and Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, but refused to
call for a second vote on an issue he raised, and threatened to storm
out of the chamber if not recognized. He said that Senator Mark’s action
infringed on the rights of adherents of Islam regarding marriage.
He
said the Senate vote deleting Section 29 (4b) was against Islamic laws,
insisting that the Constitution forbids the National Assembly from
making laws that go against Islamic injunction.
But Senator Mark
in a sharp riposte said he took exception to the accusation, insisting
that he had been consistent in the conduct of the voting process.
In his remark, the Senate President described the process as ‘historic’ because senators stood up for what they believed in.
“Today is a historic day in the history of democracy in this country.
We
have voted in what we believe and we voted for those issues that we
think will ensure that democracy continues to mature and take a firm
root in this country.
“I want to thank you because I believe that the committee worked very hard to be able to get us to where we are now.
“Whatever emotions or sentiments people had to express we put them in practical terms.
Mark
said that a conference committee would be set up between the Senate and
the House of Representatives to harmonise their positions before
forwarding to State Assemblies. The Senate will today hold a valedictory
session for late Senator Pius Ewherido, Delta Central.
Vanguard
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