Constitution amendment: Reps shift debate to next week

Bola Badmus, Abuja - 30.06.2009

THE House of Representatives has shifted debate on 1999 Constitution amendment to next week. The House, led by the Speaker Honourable ‘Dimeji Bankole, had fixed today for second reading of the debate on a bill for an Act to alter the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, and for other matters connected thereto.

The bill is among the seven forwarded to the National Assembly by President Umaru Yar’Adua a few months ago before the members went on recess.

Also scheduled for debate tomorrow is a bill for an Act to establish the electoral offences commission and for other matters connected therewith, 2009.

The Chairman, Committee on Rules and Business, Honourable Ita Enang, who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune in his office, said the House had changed its mind on the affected bills and had, therefore, shifted debate on them till next week.

Enang, who said the constitution review committee of the House had commenced with the exercise of amending the country’s constitution, noted that the rescheduled debate was informed by the findings that a majority of House of Representatives members had just obtained copies of the Muhammed Uwais-led committee report on electoral reform.

According to him, the House needed to give members more time to study the said report before they could come to present informed debate on the issue of the constitution review, particularly the electoral reform bills.

It will be recalled that Nigerians have criticised the electoral reform bills forwarded to the National Assembly by President Yar’ Adua, complaining that they fell far short of the recommendations made by the panel led by Nigeria’s former chief justice, Muhammed Uwais.