Politics
Dep Speaker educates lawmaker on how to veto Buhari on Electoral Act
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives on Tuesday schooled a house member on the process to follow if he wants to move to override President Muhammadu Buhari on a Bill.
The lawmaker, Ben Igbakpa (PDP, Delta) had moved a motion to invoke Section 58(5) of the Constitution to override the president on Section 84(8) of the electoral act, which addresses the issue of statutory delegates participation at primaries of political parties.
But the deputy speaker who presided over primaries told him that was not the proper procedure to follow and that Igbakpa could not override the president through a motion.
Igbakpa had last week moved the same motion by raising a constitutional point of order that the House should commence the process of overriding the president on the bill.
However, the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila told him Mr Igbakpa to bring a substantive motion on another legislative day.
Read also:Lawmaker urges House of Reps to over ride Buhari’s veto on Electoral Act
But when he moved the motion on Tuesday, Mr Wase said, “You don’t come with a motion to override a bill. What you are supposed to do is to ask the rules. if you are interested write to the speaker seeking for that to happen, then we go through the normal procedure as enshrined in our standing order”.
Members stepped down the after the Deputy Speaker stated that any move to override requires 2/3rd of members of the National Assembly.
He admonished Igbakpa, the mover of the motion, to step it down as it was at variance with procedure for overriding the President.
The Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives had some weeks ago requested President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the one-item amendment to the Electoral Act 2022.
In the aftermath of the President’s delay to assent to the bill, some reps members cited section 58 (5) which allows the National Assembly the power to override the president if he withholds assent.
The president’s refusal to assent to the bill had denied elected public office holders the chance of voting at the recently concluded primary elections of political parties in the country.
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