President Muhammadu Buhari has refused assent to Constitution amendment bills on the power to summon Presidents and Governors.

President Muhammadu Buhari has refused assent to Constitution amendment bills on the power to summon Presidents and Governors.

Refusal of presidential assent on the Constitution alteration bill and 18 others by President Buhari was lamented on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday by the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan.

On Friday last week, President Buhari assented to 16 out of 35 Constitution alterations bills transmitted to him for assent by the National Assembly.

Informing the Senate in Plenary on Tuesday on the presidential action, the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, said out of the 35 constitution alteration bills forwarded to the President in January for assent, only 16 were assented to.

According to him, the most striking of the assented 16 bills was the fifth alteration bill number 6, which makes provisions for the financial independence of the State Houses of Assembly and Judiciary.

He added that others dwell on power devolutions in moving Railway services, Correctional Centres, and power generation and distribution from the exclusive list to the concurrent list.

He, however, said that the 19 bills not assented to by the President will still be pursued vigorously by both Chambers of the National Assembly for that purpose.

The first of such 19 bills not assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari, was the fifth alteration bill, number 24, which sought for an Act to Alter the Second Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to Empower the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly to summon the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Governors of States to answer Questions on issues on which the National and State Houses of Assembly have the Powers to make.

Also, alteration bill number 7, which sought an Act to Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to compel persons to obey or comply with Legislative Summons, was refused assent by the President.

Others are fifth alteration bill number 29, which sought for an Act to Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to provide for a State of the Nation and State of the State Address by the President and Governor.

Fifth alteration bill number 22 which sought for an Act to Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to Specify the period within which the President or the Governor of State shall present the Appropriation Bill before the National Assembly or House of Assembly.

Fifth alteration bill number 30 sought for an Act to Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to Include Former Heads of the National Assembly in the Council of State.

Fifth alteration bill number 14 sought an Act to Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to move Fingerprints, Identification, and Criminal Records from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List.

Fifth alteration bill number 18 which sought for an Act to Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Empower the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission to Enforce Compliance with Remittance of Accruals into and Disbursement of Revenue from the Federation Account and Streamline the Procedure for Reviewing the Revenue Allocation Formula.

Fifth alteration bill number 66 sought for an Act to Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Reflect the Establishment and Core Functions of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps etc .

Credit: The Nigeria Lawyers