Constitution review: Reps endorse 71 amendments

The House of Repre­sentatives yester­day voted for the amendment of 71 items in sections of the 1999 Constitution.

It is the single largest amendment in the history of constitution review in the country.

A total of 261 House mem­bers participated in the consti­tution amendment vote. Of the number, 252 members voted in favour of the amendments, while eight voted against and one abstained. The constitu­tion specifies that a two-third vote (240 of the 360-member House) is required to amend the constitution.
With the approval of the harmonized amendments by the House, the stage is now set for the report to be forwarded to the 36 state Houses of As­sembly for their concurrence.

The Senate is also expected to pass the amendments in similar manner.

The amendments approved by the House include legisla­tive immunity, local govern­ment autonomy, state creation, indigeneship and citizenship, independent candidacy in elections, budgetary process, life pension for National As­sembly heads, role for tradi­tional rulers, among others.

An alteration of Section 7 among others, stops revenue allocation from the federation account to local governments that are not democratically elected. Local government administrations also stand dis­solved at the expiration of four years commencing from the date the members of council were sworn in.

The amendment of Section 59 will mean the National As­sembly bypassing the presi­dent if he fails to sign a bill presented to him within 30 days.

The amended section reads, “Within seven days, the presi­dent of the Senate shall con­vene a joint sitting of the Na­tional Assembly to reconsider the bill and if passed by two-thirds majority of members of both Houses at such joint sit­ting, the bill shall become law and the assent of the president shall not be required.”

The new review approved independent candidacy in elections in Nigeria and makes it mandatory for the president to address a joint meeting of the National Assembly once a year.