Electoral Act Bill: Senators never drop plan to override President’s veto, says Senator
By Steve Oni, Ilorin
Senator Umar Sadiq has stated that the Senate has not dumped plans to override President Muhammadu Buhari’s veto on the 2021 Electoral Act Amendment bill, but rather chose to suspend action on it because of developments at the House of Representatives penultimate Tuesday.
Sadiq , who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Rules and Business
and representing Kwara North in the Red Chamber, said this weekend while fielding questions from journalists in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, at the ‘Newskeg’ programme of the Correspondents’ Chapel, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Kwara Council.
Sadiq added that members of the senate also agreed with the House of Representatives to consult with stakeholders and constituents before making a final decision on the issue.
Noting that overriding the president’s veto requires two-third votes of both chambers, opined that since the House of Representatives was in recess having on Tuesday adjourned until January 2022 without a decision on the issue, whatever the Senate might have chosen to do on the issue would be an exercise in futility.
He added that rather than the senate getting condemned for inaction or getting accused of backtracking, Nigerians should instead await its decision.
He said: “Did we do a u-urn? No, we did not do a u-turn. Did we believe in what we wanted to do ? Yes, most people believe in it. What is the issue? It is an electoral act that has to do with direct primary election and some people and political parties had said they don’t want direct primary election that they want indirect primary election or consensus arrangements and that arguments had been going on but in our wisdom, members of the two chambers said we prefer direct primary election and we said let us make it constitutional to deepen our democracy. We have therefore passed a bill that recommends direct primary election.
“We said let us allow party members to take decision on who will represent them and we passed the law. The president came back with his position that he would not assent the bill and he gave myriads of reasons, some of those reasons, we believe some and we don’t believe some, we are confused, some we are doubting.
“The senate was ready to override the president’s veto, there was a debate, we moved up and down but unfortunately for us while we were taking steps to override the president’s veto the House of Representatives did not address the issue, they felt that it’s a hot matter that needs more consultations, more engagements so they say let us pass the budget, let us go for holiday, consult stakeholders and constituents, and when we come back in January we would do the needful.
“For us in the senate, we were preparing to do what we wanted to do but when that information came to us, putting constitutional provisions into consideration, even if we as a senate had decided to override the president’s veto it will be null and void.
“In the wisdom of the senators, we said since this issue would not be addressed in the house of representatives for now let us also step it down and go and do the consultations and allow our constituents and stakeholders to give their take, when we resume we will do what the people want us to do or what we have seen as being the best thing in the interest of Nigeria, so it was not a u-turn but a strategic decision.”
The senator, who said he has sponsored 20 bills that have reached to the second reading stage, said the bills were meant to strengthen democracy and good governance and also address issues that have to do with certain professions.
These bills, he said, include the National Assembly Budget and Research Office (Establishment) Bill, 2021 and a bill to make the president give state of the nation address to ensure direct engagements with the people.
The federal lawmaker disclosed his plan to hold a mega empowerment programme next month.
“I cannot list what I have done for my people if we go by what politicians count as projects like someone constructing a motorized borehole in a community and calling it a project that he will inaugurate and celebrate, therefore if I am to count projects like that, I did over 100 projects during my first year in the senate. During the second year I also had over 100.
Reacting to the decision of the leading opposition party, the PDP, to zone its governorship candidate to Kwara North in 2023, Sadid who is the most senior political office holder in the senatorial district submitted that the said decision should be considered and allowed to remain a PDP affair.
He said: “The answer is very simple, we in Kwara North are very decent and good people, we are enterprising, we are very smart and hardworking and I do think that we deserve to govern Kwara like people from the other zones so that we can feel included and we would be able to show Kwarans what Kwara Northerners can do, I believe in that .
“But the question you have asked me how do you say you are zoning to Kwara North when we are operating a multi-party democracy and people belong to different parties. I was told that PDP has zoned governorship nomination to Kwara North, I don’t belong to PDP, what PDP did is honestly not my business?