Senate President, Senator Ahmad Lawan, on Wednesday, said the Senate would consult with the House of Representatives on how to respond to President Muhammadu Buhari’s letter over the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill.
Lawan made this known after the upper chamber rose from a closed session held to deliberate on the president’s decision to withhold assent to the bill as passed by the National Assembly.
He said the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) does not permit the upper chamber to exclusively take any action on such matters without the involvement of the House of Representatives.
Lawan, however, assured that a joint position would be reached with the House when both chambers reconvene from the Christmas break, after due consultation with Nigerians.
Speaking on what transpired in the closed session, Lawan said, “The Senate in a closed session deliberated on matters relevant to its workings in particular and the National Assembly in general.
“The Senate also discussed how to respond to the letter from President Buhari on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
“The Senate consequently resolved to consult with the House of Representatives in January when both the Senate and House will be in session.
“The Senate also resolved to consult with our constituents during our recess.”
Reacting, former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, urged the National Assembly to act fast, adding that one contentious clause should not be a reason to throw away all the positives in the proposed Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill.
He said the two options open to the National Assembly is to either override the president’s decline of assent or remove the contentious provision on direct primaries and send the bill back to the president for his assent.
“Whichever option our legislators choose can be accomplished in the shortest possible time. We could have a new electoral law in January 2022.
“Anyone that has been following the mood of the nation knows that Nigerians desire to have a new electoral law that will lead to having a credible, free, fair and peaceful process of electing our leaders.
“This proposed electoral law is expected to reassure the youth, many of whom steer clear of the political process because they have no confidence in the system. They believe the system is usually rigged and compromised.
He said the two options open to the National Assembly is to either override the president’s decline of assent or remove the contentious provision on direct primaries and send the bill back to the president for his assent.
“Whichever option our legislators choose can be accomplished in the shortest possible time. We could have a new electoral law in January 2022.
“Anyone that has been following the mood of the nation knows that Nigerians desire to have a new electoral law that will lead to having a credible, free, fair and peaceful process of electing our leaders.
“This proposed electoral law is expected to reassure the youth, many of whom steer clear of the political process because they have no confidence in the system. They believe the system is usually rigged and compromised.