Federal
lawmakers in Nigeria have, in the ongoing Nigerian constitution
amendment, approved autonomy for local governments and endorsed
independent candidacy in elections.
The Senate at its
proceedings on Tuesday approved several provisions adopted by the
conference committee made up of lawmakers in both the Senate and the
House of Representatives on the amendment of the 1999 Constitution.
Another
amendment that was approved by the conference committee and endorsed by
the Senate was provision for immunity of legislators in respect of
verbal or written statements in the course of their legislative duties.
The
inability of the Senate to form a quorum last week Wednesday stalled
its consideration of the report of the conference committee on the
review of the 1999 constitution.
At the resumption of plenary on Tuesday, the situation was remedied, paving way for the approval of the committee’s report.
The
amendment empowered the National Assembly and the State Houses of
Assembly to prescribe civil or criminal sanctions for failure or
neglect to obey summons issued to anyone by the National Assembly.
Immunity Clause Removal
The
lawmakers also amended section nine by removing the need for
presidential assent in constitutional amendment exercise while the
amendment of sections 65 and 106 provided for independent candidacy in
election, creation of the office of the Accountant General for the
Federal Government, establishment of the office of the Attorney General
of the Federation and Attorney General of a State separate from the
Minister of Justice and Commissioner of Justice.
Amendment of
section 225 of the Constitution empowered the Independent National
Electoral Commission to de-register political parties for breach of
registration requirements and failure to win either a presidential,
governorship, local government chairmanship or a seat in the National or
State Assembly.
However, the conference committee rejected the
removal of the immunity clause for the President, Vice President,
Governors and their Deputies in the proposed new constitution.
But
the the House of Representatives had, last week, approved the removal
of the immunity clause for the President, Vice President, Governors and
their Deputies in the amendment to the constitution.
The Senate President, David Mark, said that the the constitutional amendment process would now enter a next phase.
All
eyes will now be on the State Houses of Assembly to see which of these
provisions would be adopted and which will be thrown out.
Credit: ChannelsNews
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