The House of Representatives is expected to commence debate on a bill which seeks to provide the timeline for the President and State Governors to issue a proclamation for the National Assembly and State House of Assembly.
Recall that Justice Ahmed Mohammed of Federal High Court in Abuja had, on Tuesday, restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from conducting a fresh election to fill 14 vacant seats in the Edo State House of Assembly.
The 14 lawmakers had on the 12th December 2019 sought an order of interim injunction restraining INEC from conducting a by-election in respect of their seats in the state assembly purportedly declared vacant by the Speaker on the 4th December 2019, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice on the 10th December 2019.
The proposed legislation is coming on the heels of the lingering crisis trailing the issuance of a proclamation by the incumbent Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State and 14 members of the Edo State House of Assembly.
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The proposed bill sponsored by Hon. Ben Rollands Igbakpa, seen by Tribune Online, seeks to amend Section 64 the 1999 Constitution by substituting the existing subsection which provides that: “Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the person elected as the President or exercising such powers shall have power to issue a proclamation for the holding of the first session of the National Assembly not later than 48 hours after his being sworn in, or for its dissolution as provided in this section.”
It also provides for a new subsection 64(4a-d) of the Principal Act which provides that: “The instrument of Proclamation for the holding of the first session of the National Assembly shall contain the following particulars: ‘The date, time and venue of the first session; Duly signed by the President and given under the hand, and the Public Seal of Federal Republic of Nigeria; Addressed to the Clerk of the National Assembly, who shall not later than 48 hours of receipt of the Proclamation communicate the details thereto to all members-elect of the National Assembly; and Publish the Proclamation in at least two National Newspapers circulating in all the geopolitical zones of the country.”
In the same vein, the proponent of the bill, further seeks the alteration of Section 105 of the Principal Act is altered by substituting the existing subsection (3) for a new subsection ‘3’, that provides that: “Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the person elected as the Governor of a State or exercising such powers shall have power to issue a proclamation for the holding of the first session of the House of Assembly of the State concerned not later than 48 hours after he is being sworn in, or for its dissolution as provided in this section.”
Similarly, the lawmaker seeks for provision of a new subsection 105(4a-d) which provides that: “The instrument of Proclamation for the holding of the first session of the House of Assembly of the state concerned shall contain the following particulars: The date, time and venue of the first session; Duly signed by the Governor and given under the hand, and the Public Seal of the State; Addressed to the Clerk of the House of Assembly of the State concerned, who shall not later than 48 hours of receipt of the Proclamation communicate the details thereto to all members-elect of the House of Assembly of the state concerned; and Publish the Proclamation in at least two National Newspapers circulating in the State.”
and then