Politics

Electoral Amendment Bill: We Won’t Go To War With Buhari – Senate

Published

3 years ago

Dec 15, 2021.

Senate said National Assembly would not go to war with President Muhammadu Buhari over the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.

EKO HOT BLOG reports that since NASS transmitted the bill to the President for assent on November 19, governors and lawmakers had been articulating their positions on the propriety of the bill.

Speaking on a Channels Television breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, spokesman of the Senate, Ajibola Basiru, said the National Assembly would take the best decision for Nigerians, irrespective of President Muhammadu Buhari’s attitude towards the bill.

He, however, said the National Assembly would not go on the path of war with the president over the electoral bill.

He said: “When the president takes the decision, whatever the generality of the National Assembly thinks, we all will know. I think it is too early to seek to put us on a war path with the president.

“We will take decision we think is in the best interest of the country, irrespective of the attitude the president or executive takes to the electoral bill.’’

On the description of the National Assembly as rubber stamp of the executive, the Senate spokesman said if making laws tailored towards the development of the country was seen as being a rubber stamp, then the legislative body agreed to being called such.

Senate Buhari

He said the decision of the National Assembly was not partisan, adding that the masses always formed the basis for the consideration of every motion and bill in the legislative house.

“If making law for the progress of the country is considered to be a rubber stamp, then we agree that we are a rubber stamp national assembly.

“If the idea of seeing the National Assembly as an opposition parliament is what some people expected, we are happy to disappoint such people. Our job is clearly cut out for us by section 4 of the constitution.

“The National Assembly today is a bipartisan legislative assembly, whereby we have members from the ruling party, APC, and the PDP.

‘’Our decisions are taken not on the basis of partisan consideration but on the basis of the general consideration of the people.

“For those that see the National Assembly as a fighting organisation, I think we are happy to disappoint them, we are a conglomerate of Nigerians elected to represent the people for the purpose of lawmaking,’’ the Senate scribe said.

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