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Osinbajo, NASS may clash as Acting President rejects 4 bills

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KACHIKWU,BARU FEUD: It was me who approved the NNPC contracts –Osinbajo

The Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, may be heading for a clash with the National Assembly over a number of bills sent to him for assent.

Prof. Osinbajo, on Wednesday vetoed four bills, recently forwarded to the presidency for assent.

The four bills are National Lottery Amendment Bill passed by the National Assembly last year. Others are the Dangerous Drug Amendment Bill; Agriculture Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund; and Currency Conversion Bill.

Conveying the decision ‎of the Acting President to lawmakers in four letters, the Acting President said some contents of the bills were not in tandem with what are obtainable in modern times.

Osinbajo also noted in the letters that some of the bills passed by the Senate were currently part of court cases currently ongoing, and that as such, he could not append his signature to the bills.

The Acting President in one of the letters read by Saraki, rejected the National Lottery Amendment Bill on the grounds that there was a pending legal case in court. He questioned the competence of the National Assembly to legislate on the matter.

He wrote: “The rationale for withholding assent to the bill is the existence of pending legal challenge to the competence of the National Assembly to legislate on the subject matter.”

On the Dangerous Drug Amendment Bill, the Acting President said he withheld his assent as a result of certain words and phrases that may be inconsistent with the spirit behind the amendment.

“The rationale for withholding assent to the bill are the concerns regarding certain words and phrases utilized in the draft bill that may be inconsistent with the principal act and the spirit behind the proposed amendments,” Osinbajo wrote in the letter.

Professor Osinbajo noted in the letter that he rejected the bill on Agriculture Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund, as a result of funding concerns and composition of the board.

 

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He noted: “The reason for withholding assent to the bill are the concerns surrounding board composition, funding arrangements, limitation of liability of funds and proposal to increase levels of uncollateralized loans from N5,000 to N250,000.”

He gave a similar reason rejecting the Currency Conversion Bill. He said: “The rationale for withholding assent to the bill is the concern regarding the modalities for the communication of asset forfeiture orders.”

President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki who read the four letters, said the decision of the Acting President will be studied by the legal team of the Senate and revert immediately.

He said the four bills were too important to let go, and that once the legal team is done with the review, the Senate will decide on the way forward on whether or not to override the Acting President.

In a point of order, Senator Dino Melaye who sponsored the National Lottery Amendment Bill, quoted extensively from the 1999 Constitution. He claimed that the Acting President and the executive branch of government, do not have the powers to reject bills passed by the National Assembly.

“The role of the executive is to carry out their traditional role by signing any bills passed by the National Assembly,” Melaye claimed.

Melaye said the action of the Acting President if allowed to stand, will signal a grave danger to democracy in the country. He said it will also undermine the powers of the parliament.

Senator George Sekibo spoke differently. He said if the Senate is convinced that the issues contained in the bills are germane, ‎the Senate, relying on relevant sections of the constitution can override the Acting President’s veto.

By Ehisuan Odia….

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0 Comments

  1. Roland Uchendu Pele

    February 22, 2017 at 12:31 pm

    The National Assembly passed a bill that would affect certain cases already in court and expects the Acting President to sign it?

    I trust the Professor of Law not to allow just any bill be signed into law.
    Good one there, Pastor Osinbajo.

    • seyi jelili

      February 22, 2017 at 1:10 pm

      Sure, my pastor does not tolerate rubbish, he is keen to vet all bills before passing them to laws. No senator can do him abracadabra .

  2. Animashaun Ayodeji

    February 22, 2017 at 1:37 pm

    Very Good! This is what governance is all about, if not in the interest of the majority, it should be scrapped out, totally. I’m sure Osinbajo understands there are some evil and wicked motives behind the bills the senate expected him to sign. The acting president is not just an executive, he’s an executive who understands the law more than most of the senators. Let them get into it and fight it out. This issue clearly not a matter of veto, but a matter of “what the law says and how it should be interpreted”

  3. Margret Dickson

    February 22, 2017 at 1:44 pm

    “Dino Melaye who sponsored the National Lottery Amendment Bill, quoted extensively from the 1999 Constitution. He claimed that the Acting President and the executive branch of government, do not have the powers to reject bills passed by the National Assembly,” Dino Melaye is obviously sick and confused. How do you expect the present number one man in the country to sign a bill that will do the country less good? Melaye must have felt Osinbajo will bow to anything the senate says without considering his own expertise. Osinbajo would have been better than all the senators in the house if he was in the National Assembly and not the executive position. Melaye should keep his mouth shut and say nothing until he can proof that the bills are in the interest of the mass heterogeneous scattered majority of Nigeria, anything contrary to this will not be accepted.

  4. yanju omotodun

    February 22, 2017 at 3:46 pm

    Yes, it is now I see that what buhari can’t do, osinbajo can do it better. I think it is high time Nigerians revolt against buhari’s presidency so he can be in London for the rest days of his life while osinbajo continues as our president. Or better still, osinbajo should make buhari our Nigerian ambassador to the UK receiving and attending to visitors over there.

    • Balarabe musa

      February 22, 2017 at 4:28 pm

      To hell with your family and everyone called Yoruba race. You think you can kill buhari or you think osinbajo will ever be Nigerian president, that won’t happen walahi talahi, what a derogatory speech that baba buhari should be a UK ambassador, it is your foolish osinbajo we will relieve of his vice president for that position. Allahu subuhanawalatala will strike your mouth.

      • Ugbede Daniel

        February 22, 2017 at 8:10 pm

        Are u Nigerian at all. Ditching insults to your fellows on public media. Where are the manners?

  5. Ugbede Daniel

    February 22, 2017 at 8:07 pm

    A man who is interested in a position will never try to oppose the notion of those that should put him there. Do not get it twisted, the professor is just acting. I wonder why issues are trying to get solution and some people want to heighten the heat. If you ask me, Osinbanjo should pend those Bills and let Buhari come and append his own signature. A clean hand will always remain clean.

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