Buhari Rejects 19 Out Of 35 Constitution Alteration Bills

President Muhammadu Buhari has rejected 19 out of the 35 Constitution Alteration Bills transmitted through the National Assembly, New Telegraph reports.

This was disclosed by Senate President Ahmad Lawan on Tuesday during the Plenary, adding that the Senate will investigate the issue.

Lawan maintained that the most striking of the 16 bills that Buhari assented to was the Fifth Alteration Bill No 6,  which makes provisions for the financial independence of state Houses of Assembly and the Judiciary.

It would be recalled that the National Assembly had in January transmitted 35 Constitutional Alteration bills to the President for assent.

But Buhari had on Friday last week assented to 16 out of the 35 bills.

The first of the 19 bills rejected by Buhari was the Fifth Alteration Bill No 24, which sought an Act to alter the Second Schedule to the 1999 Constitution to empower the National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly to summon the President and governors to answer questions on issues on which the National and state Houses of Assembly have the Powers to make.

The rejection of  Alteration Bill No. 7 sought an Act to alter the provisions of the 1999 Constitution to compel obedience or compliance with the legislative summons.

The Fifth Alteration Bill No 29 was also rejected  which sought an Act to alter the provisions of the 1999 Constitution “to provide for a state of the nation and state-of-the-state address by the President and Governor.”

Also rejected was the Fifth Alteration Bill No 22, which sought an Act to alter the provisions of the 1999 Constitution “to Specify the period within which the President or the governor of a state shall present the Appropriation Bill before the National Assembly or House of Assembly.”

Rejection of bill No. 30, which sought an Act to alter the provisions of the 1999 Constitution to Include former heads of the National Assembly in the Council of State.

Also rejected was Bill No. 14, which sought an Act to alter the 1999 Constitution to move Fingerprints, Identification, and Criminal Records from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List.

According to Lawan, “We sent 35 Constitution Amendment bills. Sixteen of them were approved while 19 of them were rejected. We will find out why those bills were rejected because we put a lot of resources into the process.

“We will continue to engage the executive and go through the bills and see if there are issues that we can deal with within the short period, we will continue to pursue them.

“But if the issues are cumbersome, we can leave it for the 10th Assembly.”