The House of Representatives has adopted a new method to send the amended versions of the 1999 Constitution in different related bills to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent.
According to the House, the new method is to avoid the mistakes made by the 7th Assembly where, after concluding the constitution amendment, a single bill was sent to the then President Goodluck Jonathan who did not approve it based on the alleged error on a particular section, thus thwarting the efforts and resources expended on the exercise.
“The resources and efforts were committed to the review of the constitution, members of the committee and all the professionals hired to assist travelled round the country to collate views of Nigerians and at the end of the day, the report of the exercise was thrown out and ended in the dust bin, this is not good for the nation,” a statement by the Wole Oladimeji, Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee on the Review of 1999 Constitution and Deputy Speaker of the House, Yusuf Lasun.
The new system to be embarked upon before the end of the 8th assembly will see all the sections of the constitution that needed to be amended concluded and assented to by the President. This development, according to the statement, would produce about four or more bills to be presented to the President for assent.
