Senate ends debate, votes on draft constitution bill Tuesday

[Mirror]

...as more opposition trails single tenure, immunity clause Following the completion of debate on the draft bill for the review of the 1999 Constitution by senators on yesterday, voting on the various issues up for review will now take place next week Tuesday.

Senate President David Mark, in his concluding remarks, urged full attendance by the senators so as to form the constitutionally required two-thirds quorum before voting on the bill can take place.

He stated that going by the constitution, the number required is 73 out of the 109 members.

He directed that no committee meeting should take place on that day, just as he also directed that no form of oversight function would be allowed for the same purpose of achieving maximum attendance.

"Now that we have successfully concluded debate on the bill, I want to appeal to all of us that we should all endeavour to be here on Tuesday next week when voting will take place," Mark urged.

Continuing he said: "We should be able to make history as we cast our votes on that day. I want to repeat that everybody should be here that day because we need a minimum of 73 members otherwise, we will not be able to vote."

Meanwhile, all the senators who contributed to the debate on the draft bill yesterday expressed opposition to single six-year tenure for the elected president and the governors as well as the removal of the immunity clause for elected president and governors.

Also, there were divided opinions on the proposed local government autonomy. While, for instance, many senators expressed support for the abolition of the joint states/local government account, others cautioned against wholesale of such proposal.

Senator Mohammed Danjuma, a former governor, who while in office had been a strong opponent of local government autonomy, canvassed strongly for the council autonomy yesterday because according to him, "I have since seen the light."

The lawmaker, like other proponents of the proposal, canvasses for strong institutions and structures such as the local government service commissions and the local government parliaments etc. to ensure that there is effective monitoring of the council chairmen so that they do not turn out to be turns in the necks of the governors.

Regarding the proposed review of section 58, which seeks to make bills passed by the National Assembly to automatically become law after 30 days if the president fails to assent to the bill, lawmakers cautioned against such proposal since it is capable of eroding the principles of separation of powers.

National Mirror

[Folami David]

The whole debate of a thing just always stir more controversy so the Senate did the right thing. Very brilliant one.