By writing to both chambers of the
National Assembly to express his reservations about the Electoral Act 2010
Amendment Bill, President Muhammadu Buhari has withheld his assent and
cast doubt on the rationality of the lawmakers to review or amend the contentious
provisions of the Act. What this means, in legislative parlance, is that the
president has vetoed the bill. Consequently, the National Assembly is now
in a position to override the veto by two-thirds of its members at
separate sittings.
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| *President Buhari and Senate President Saraki |
There is no doubt that the nation is about to witness
another executive-legislature face-off in constitution reviews, amendments of
Acts of Parliament and lawmaking process where the executive arm of government
feels its interest is threatened by the spirit and the letter of the proposed
laws or amendments. To be sure, the National Assembly has performed its
constitutional function in the circumstance to the dissatisfaction of the
incumbent head of the executive arm.
