(http://peoplesdailyng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/nass.jpg) (http://peoplesdailyng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/nass.jpg)By Ikechukwu Okaforadi & Umar Muhammad Puma
Members of the National Assembly are expected to resume from their two weeks break tomorrow with the Senate deliberating on on whether to push further the controversial six-year single term proposal by its committee that reviewed the 1999 Constitution.
And, in the House of Representatives, the impending reshuffle of the committees has forced some lawmakers to adopt various strategies to ensure their nomination into the areas considered as juicy.
Ahead of the tomorrow's resumed sitting at the Senate, a competent source hinted that, "it is expected that the six-year single term proposal will top the agenda on the items which the Senate will consider."
According to the source, other issues include the equally contentious debacle on state creation, local government autonomy and autonomy for state houses of assembly, independence electoral commissions, among others.
Peoples Daily reliably gathered that another proposal in the report which the senators may reject is the proposal which seeks to create pension for past leaders of the National Assembly, at an amount equivalent to the salary of the current Senate and Deputy Senate President, Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representative.
A Bill on the proposal which was sponsored by the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma Egba, had been rejected earlier by the lawmakers on the ground that it will create instability and acrimony among the Senators.
It would be recalled that the senate committee reviewing the 1999 constitution, at the end of the last session, submitted its reports to the senate, at which the Senate President, David Mark, announced that debate would be suspended on the report pending the resumption on the 25th of June.
According to Mark, the need to suspend the debate to resumption was to enable the lawmakers use the recess period to study the import of the report, saying this would enable them come up with informed point of view when debate is opened on it.
Mark had equally pointed out that in tomorrow's debate, the Senators are expected to speak individually either for or against the proposal, other than the voice vote that is usually the case.
Since the issue of six-year single term came to the public domain, tension has mounted against it, with various interest groups, including political parties, criticizing the proposal.
Moreover, the House of Representatives also condemned the proposal, emphasizing that it would veto the section that proposes six-year single term when come to their chambers.
Some Senators from the South-South geo-political had also indicated their intention to reject the section in the report.
President Goodluck Jonathan had through his Special Adviser on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak, disapproved of the proposal.
He had argued that since his Jonathan was elected on a two-term Constitution, reviwing that aspect of the Constitution would mar his chances at seeking re-election in 2015.
House of Representatives
There are about 94 standing committees at the House of Representatives and they draw funds from the budget amounting to about N4bn for their operations.
Reports indicate that "poor legislative output" may have informed the decision of the House leadership to reshuffle the committees expected to begin tomorrow.
Although the two houses of the national assembly have tended to thread divergent paths regarding the proposed review of the 1999 Constitution, there are indications that the House of Representatives may eventually dump the report of the Committee on Review of the Constitution.
Chairman House of Representative committee on Media and Public Affairs, Zakari Mohammed, while reacting on the issue said the report of the House would not support the six-year single term proposed by the Senate.
According to him, "we are bringing out our own report soon and in it, we have retained the structure of four years with two terms as it is in the Constitution.
"When we present our report, of course, there will be a conference committee between the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The post As NASS resumes tomorrow... Six-yr single term, c'ttees reshuffle divide lawmakers (http://peoplesdailyng.com/as-nass-resumes-tomorrow-six-yr-single-term-cttees-reshuffle-divide-lawmakers/) appeared first on Peoples Daily Newspaper, Nigeria (http://peoplesdailyng.com).
Peoples Daily Newspaper