Lawmakers Proceed To Review Peace Corps Bill Despite Buhari’s Rejection
The House of Representatives says it will take another look at the Peace Corps Bill and consider reasons given by President Muhammadu Buhari for not
signing it, before deciding what to do next.
The House will also consider another 21 bills yet to be assented to by the president.
The 22 bills (including the Peace Corps Bill) were either rejected or not responded to by the president.
Raising a point of order on Thursday, Uzomma Nkem-Abonta (Abia – PDP), drew the attention of the House to the 22 bills that were transmitted to the president at various times which he did not sign.
He quoted various sections of the Constitution which mandates the
National Assembly to override the president if he fails to assent a bill
after 30 days.
He urged the House to look at the bills that were transmitted to the president, and see if the reasons he gave were good enough.
“The constitution says the rejected
bills will come back to the House for us to look at it, veto it or otherwise,” he said.
Speaker Yakubu Dogara mandated
the Chairman, House Committee
on Rules and Business to schedule
a date when the House will look at
the bills again and see the reasons
given for not assenting, and decide
on what to do.
The president had in a letter sent
to the House of Representatives,
rejected a bill to establish the
Peace Corps of Nigeria.
He cited financial implications and
duplication of duties of existing
security agencies, as reasons for
withholding his assent to the bill.
The National Assembly is empowered by the provisions of section 58(5) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, to override the
president on Bills.
While the House requires 240 members to make up its two-thirds, the 109-member Senate requires 73 members to veto the president’s assent.
Order 12(b)(c) of the Standing Orders and Rules of the House of Representatives (2016) also provides that the rejected Bill could be looked upon by the House (through a motion) and if supported by two-thirds of the Reps, the Bill is proclaimed law without the assent of the president.
