Constitution amendment Senate begins process to override Jonathan

THE Senate, on Tuesday, commenced the process of overriding the president’s veto on the Fourth Constitution Alteration bill, which has become a subject of controversy in recent times.
President Goodluck Jonathan had, in April, rejected the alteration bill, following his decision to raise some 12 grounds to justify his withholding of assent to the bill.
On Tuesday, the National Assembly published the bill in the National Assembly Journal, which is also referred to as the Gazette, to intimate its members of the readiness to commence legislative work on the bill.
The National Assembly usually published its journal to contain details of future bills, as a way of informing members of the pendency of such bills.
The publication is also to give details to members such that they could read details of the bills before they come up for debate on the floor.

Following the publication in the journal and the notice paper for the week, the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, told his colleagues that the bill would be comprehensively debated at closed session today.
When the president vetoed the constitution amendment bill, the lawmakers protested and indicated their readiness to override the veto.
But the president immediately filed a suit before the Supreme Court, asking it to terminate the processes for the amendment.
The court had, last week, ordered a status quo in the matter, a development the National Assembly found to be offensive.
Sources in the Assembly said the lawmakers believed that the Supreme Court was playing the tunes for the executive arm of government, by giving an order which could completely kill the amendment bill.
The source said the lawmakers had resolved to go for a 50-50 situation that would give them the leeway to possibly save the bill from total extinction after June 4.
The life of the current Assembly would come to an end on June 4, meaning that the bill could come to a nullity after that day.
But the Supreme Court had fixed hearing for June 17.
The decision to commence the amendment process today came after the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, sought the approval of the members to defer the debate till today.
“I request all of us to make ourselves available tomorrow, to discuss the amendments to the constitution and be able to respond appropriately to the development.
“Please, let those who are not available know that we will have close session tomorrow to discuss this item, so that we will be able to fashion out the way forward.”
A source in the Senate said the decision to publish the bill in the National Assembly journal was aimed at saving the document, as it was believed that the verdict of the Supreme Court could go either way.
“If the Supreme Court eventually says the amendments are in order, we will know that a law is in place. But if it rules that they are unconstitutional, then we will abide by the ruling,” the source said.

Source: Tribuneonlineng.com