Four billion naira (N4 billion) of
taxpayers’ money spent by the seventh National Assembly in amending the
1999 constitution has gone down the drain, as efforts by the Senate to
override President Goodluck Jonathan’s veto on Wednesday hit a dead end.
Although the matter was listed as first reading on the order paper of Tuesday and Wednesday’s session, respectively,
it was, however, deferred to another legislative day.
Findings by BusinessDay revealed that at
N1 million per cottage industry, the N4 billion is enough to
create 4,000 industries in the country, with 108 small scale industries
each in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Recall that a seven-member Supreme Court
panel led by Chief Justice Mahmud Mohammed had last Thursday fixed June
18 for further hearing on the case by which the tenure of the seventh
Assembly would have ended.
Jonathan had withheld his assent to the
4th Alteration Bill to the 1999 Constitution, citing alleged breaches of
Section 9 of the same constitution.
He then followed up his refusal by
dragging the National Assembly to the apex court in a suit filed by the
attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice, Mohammed
Adoke.
But speaking after Wednesday’s closed
door session which lasted for over two hours, Senate President David
Mark who presided over plenary stressed that as lawmakers they will not
be lawbreakers.
Mark, who also doubles as chairman of
the National Assembly, however, warned the executive not to take
the legislature for granted.
Victor Ndoma-Egba, Senate leader,
thereafter moved that the item be moved till another legislative day,
assuring that the red chamber would “do the needful”.
But speaking with journalists after
plenary, Ndoma-Egba denied report that N4 billion was spent on
the exercise. He, however, did not disclose how much was spent but
referred the question to Ike Ekweremadu, the chairman, Senate
Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution.
He said the upper chamber would
vigorously challenge the order of the Supreme Court as soon as
possible,insisting that contrary to the claims of the executive, the
legislature met the constitutional votes requirement of four-fifth.
The senator also expressed suspicion
that the president may have signed the original copy of the
constitution into law following his decision to send the photocopy of
the document to the legislative House.
“We have legal options and the legal
options are to vigorously challenge the order of the court which
was made exparte. It was made without us being put on notice. I believe
we can get the court to quickly determine that and we intend to
pursue that option as soon as possible.
“There was a resolution taken on the
floor of the Senate for the original copy of the bill to be returned.
That resolution has been communicated to Mr. President
and commander-in-chief and up till now, we haven’t gotten
back the original.”
back the original.”
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