Constitution Review: NA seeks power to probe President, governors

The National Assembly will vote on a bill seeking to empower it to compel the President to appear before it to answer questions on security and other matters.

The clause is seeking to also empower the House of Assembly to summon the governors.

The senators and members of the house of assembly will vote on the amendment from Tuesday.

They are expected to consider 67 bills in the Senate and 68 in the House.

The report of the joint committee was laid before lawmakers in the two chambers on Wednesday.

The constitution review proposal set tough conditions for independent candidates and the registration of political parties.

Bill 48 is on the power to summon the president and governors “to answer questions on issues on which the National and State Houses of Assembly have powers to make laws; and for related matters.”

Clause 2 of the Bill which is an alteration of Section 67 of the constitution states: “Section 67 of the Principal Act is altered by inserting after subsection (3), a new subsection ‘(4)’.”

The new sub-section reads: “Nothing in this section shall preclude the National Assembly from summoning the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to attend a joint session of the National Assembly to answer questions on national security or any issue whatsoever, over which the National Assembly has powers to make laws.”

Clause 3 of the Bill, which alters Section 108 of the Constitution, reads: “Section 108 of the Principal Act is altered by inserting after subsection (3), a new subsection ‘(4)’.”

It reads: “(4) Nothing in this section shall preclude the House of Assembly of the State from summoning the Governor of the State to attend a sitting of the House of Assembly to answer questions on security or on any issue whatsoever, over which the House of Assembly has powers to make laws.”

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