Legislature
Party Primaries: Reps move to override Buhari for withhold of assent to Amended Electoral Bill 2022
The House of Representatives, on Wednesday, resolved to file notice to override President Muhammadu Buhari for withhold of assent to Clause 58(8) of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2022, which provides for statutory delegates.
The resolution was passed following the adoption of a motion sponsored by Hon Ben Igbakpa (PDP-Delta) who noted that there was no need for the House to fear anyone.
According to him, “Mr Speaker, you have shown leadership and capacity and patriotism. On the 11th of May with your colleagues you brought all of us back from our various constituencies so that we can work on the electoral act as amended, graciously that was done on the 11th of May, 2022.
“And by the 12th of same monththis amendment was transmitted to Mr President.
“Mr President did not just ignore, he travelled out of the country on a condolence visit to Dubai and that created a lot of problems for the country.
“There was tension and many of our political parties out of the tension created what will now be our fate in 2023-2027 electoral process. “Nigerians are crying for good leadership and the leadership recruitment process starts with our primaries.
“You have worked hard and that is why I took us to Section 58. We are to make laws and present them to Mr President, and where he does not sign, that section 58 gives us the powers to make sure that we pass that law without Mr President’s assent.
“There’s nowhere that it is said that one arm of Government is subservient to the other. I think we are beginning with the good work you are doing Mr Speaker. I just said you are a very good man, a wonderful man with your leadership but by the time you leave this seat by June next year, Mr Speaker Nigerians will not remember the good thing that you have done.
“For me as a person or the one you have done for our colleagues, they will remember you for the laws that you passed that have been bettered for Nigerians.
“And that is why we cannot continue to act as if we are under the executive arm of Government. This Constitution gave us the powers just as it gave to them.
“We must wake up as a Parliament where we passed our law and we are sure we have done the right thing we should start overriding Mr President because this is just the beginning.
“Today NDDC Act is enforced because the parliament of which you are part of did it. What are we afraid of?
“Mr President has not committed an offence, what he has done is the rule of law and the Constitution and I believe by the time we do our own by overiding veto, we would not have committed any offence, we will be working to accommodate the constitution and the rule of law.
“Mr Speaker I implore you as a great leader to please it is time if we are sure we have done what is right to the electoral act 2022, we should rise up take our pen, collect signatures and by the grace of God override Mr President and give Nigerians the enabling electoral law that will stand the test of time,” Hon Igbakpa stressed.
Speaking earlier, the Deputy Minority Leader, Hon Toby Okechukwu called for the activation of relevant constitutional powers to address the lacuna.
He said: “Toby Okechukwu: I want to take notice regarding the very copious and auspicious comments you made yesterday regarding the Electoral Act where in circumstances, it has been weaponised; where as a matter of fact, there was an aspiration to make the law a more perfect law to remove every ambiguity; and where there isn’t any material difference between the 2010 Act and that of 2022.
“And suddenly, majority of members, where it has been weaponised, have become victims. Something is wrong in an environment, in an institution where the two leaders of the Senate would have to cross to other parties because of inherent inclement condition. Anything that occasions it, anything that warrants it, if it is our Electoral Act, if it is our politics, if it is the environment where we operate, we need to retool.
“And as you said, we got to do better work and we have to fight on. For me, it is just a battle that is lost, the war is on and we should go ahead to make sure that that law is retooled, and made clear. And if it requires this parliament to take action to override what has not been signed, we should be willing to do so.”
While expressing his view, Hon Gbajabiamila who affirmed that Mr President was in breach of the 30 days provided to communicate his decision to withhold assent, urged the lawmaker to formalise the motion.
According to him,“Thank you for your point of order basically some of what you said is that there is a need in your own opinion for the house to override the withholding of assent to the electoral amendment.
“Clearly the Constitution says it is 30 days leeway and we have gone beyond the 30 days. But the Constitution also says that it is not automatic that you override, but if you are convinced as a House that that amendment must stand.
“If you are not convinced with the argument advanced by the President or in some cases and in this case, there are no arguments advanced, then you can override.
“But for us to override I believe the required two-thirds and it cannot be by voice votes neither can it be by way of signatures unless of course you gave enough signatures by two-thirds.
“So what I will suggest is that you bring the application, the formal motion on notice perhaps tomorrow whenever you are able to do that and we will determine whether or not this House is ready to override or not, I think that’s the proper procedure,” Hon Gbajabiamila noted.
While ruling, the Speaker who acknowledged the concern raised by the two lawmakers said: “I appreciate your comments and I believe you are talking about the provision on statutory delegate which Hon Toby alluded to earlier that’s the provision you are talking about.
“So you can file your motion hopefully we will be able to listen to it tomorrow or when we have the time on our calendar.”
Meanwhile, the Speaker disclosed that the House will embark on an annual recess in July 2022.
***Allocates N23.96 Trillion for Capital Projects, N14.31 Trillion for Debt Servicing
The Nigerian Senate along with the House of Represebtatives have passed the 2025 Appropriation Bill, approving a record-breaking budget of N54,990,165,355,396 to finance government activities in the coming fiscal year.
The budget, titled A Bill for an Act to Authorise the Issue from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation, was approved after deliberations on its allocations and implications for economic growth, debt management, and infrastructure development.
The chairman of the National Assemble Godswill Akpabio who is also the President of the Senate gave the beakdown of the 2025 Budget to show that Statutory Transfers: ₦3.65 trillion, debt Servicing: ₦14.32 trillion, Recurrent (Non-Debt) Expenditure: ₦13.06 trillion and
Capital Expenditure: ₦23.96 trillion
The largest chunk of the budget, ₦23.96 trillion, was allocated for capital expenditure, aimed at infrastructure development, healthcare, education, and security.
This signals the government’s commitment to addressing Nigeria’s infrastructural deficit.
However, the ₦14.32 trillion earmarked for debt servicing highlights the country’s rising debt burden, sparking concerns over long-term financial sustainability.
With the National Assembly approval, the budget now awaits President Bola Tinubu’s assent, after which implementation will begin. Analysts predict a challenging fiscal year, balancing economic growth with prudent spending and debt repayment.
However, time will tell whether the historic budget will deliver on its promises, or economic realities force adjustments down the line?
***Says addittional fund is to Prioritize Infrastructure, Health, Economic Growth
The chairman of the senate committee on Appropriation Senator Adeola Solomon Olamilekan has explained the approval of the 2025 Appropriation Bill by the national Assembly which it increased from N49.7 trillion to N54.99 trillion—the highest in the nation’s history.
The adjustment followed legislative reviews that uncovered additional revenues from key government agencies.
While explaining the Budget Expansion and Revenue Sources Olamilekan indicated that the additional N4.99 trillion was sourced from Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and Government-Owned Enterprises (GOEs)
These he said led to an increase in funding for critical sectors, including N1.5 trillion for Bank of Agriculture, N500 billion for Bank of Industry, 1 trillion for Ministry of Solid Minerals, N1.5 trillion for Renewable Infrastructure Fund, N300 billion – Road construction and N400 billion for Rail transport.
Others are N380 billion of Water resources, irrigation, and dam projects, N250 billion for Military barracks renovation N120 billion for New military aviation projects, N50 billion for Border security agencies
Following the suspension of U.S. health aid, which previously provided funding for HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, and polio treatments, President Tinubu approved $200 million (N300 billion) to ensure continued medical supplies and healthcare support for affected patients.
On the major Boost for Infrastructure Development he said a record N23.7 trillion has been allocated for capital projects, marking a significant leap in infrastructure investment.
He listed the areas the funds will focus on to include Roads and railways,nEducation and healthcare improvements and Other critical public infrastructure
To prevent delays in budget implementation, the 2026 budget process will begin in July 2025, with the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) submitted early and the Appropriation Bill expected by October 2025.
Concerns over inadequate rail infrastructure funding in the South East were raised, but legislative leaders clarified that rail projects are primarily funded through public-private partnerships (PPPs).
According to him, the 2025 budget focuses on light rail development in Lagos, Ogun, Kaduna, and Kano, while further discussions on South East projects are ongoing.
He explained that to maintain Economic Stability the budget parameters remain unchanged, with key revenue sources including FIRS increasing its revenue target to N25.1 trillion, Nigeria Customs Service boosting revenue collection through stricter enforcement and Independent revenue agencies contributing 100% of their generated funds to the federal government
The House of Representatives has directed its Joint Committee on Communications and Interior to investigate reports of unauthorized National Identification Number (NIN) linkages by telecom service providers across Nigeria.
The decision followed the unanimous adoption of a motion jointly sponsored by Hon. Patrick Umoh (APC, Akwa Ibom) and Hon. Julius Ihonvbere (APC, Edo). The House also instructed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to probe the allegations and sanction any telecom operator found guilty of violating privacy laws.
Additionally, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has been asked to clarify whether telecom providers were authorized to link NINs to subscriber lines and if such actions comply with existing regulations.
Hon. Umoh raised concerns about recent reports indicating that telecom companies have linked NINs to subscribers’ SIM cards without their consent. He warned that this unauthorized linkage exposes Nigerians to criminal activities, such as identity theft, financial fraud, and other cybercrimes.
“This action is a clear violation of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 and the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) 2019, which guarantee the right to privacy and the protection of personal data,” Umoh stated.
He further emphasized that while the NIN system was introduced to enhance national security and streamline identification processes, unauthorized linkages undermine public trust and jeopardize citizens’ safety.
“Aware that innocent citizens have been wrongly implicated in crimes, suffered reputational damage, harassment, and legal challenges for offenses they know nothing about, it is imperative that we address this issue immediately,” Umoh added.
The House has mandated the probe committee to submit its findings within four weeks, as lawmakers seek to protect Nigerians from potential data breaches and uphold the integrity of national security protocols.
-
Crime1 year agoPolice nabs Killer of Varsity Lecturer in Niger
-
News1 year agoFCT-IRS tells socialite Aisha Achimugu not to forget to file her annual returns
-
Appointment1 year agoTinubu names El-Rufai, Tope Fasua, others in New appointments
-
Kogi1 year agoINEC cancells election in 67 polling units in Ogori-Magongo in Kogi
-
Kogi1 year agoEchocho Challenges Tribunal Judgment ordering rerun in 94 polling units
-
News1 year agoIPOB: Simon Ekpa gives reason for seperatists clamour for Biafra
-
Metro11 months ago‘Listing Simon Ekpa among wanted persons by Nigeria military is rascality, intimidation’
-
News1 year agoKingmakers of Igu/ Koton-Karfe dare Bello, urge him to reverse deposition of Ohimege-Igu