Reps Reintroduce Peace Corps, Election Bills

In a bid to possibly override President Muhammad Buhari’s veto, the House of Representatives has re-introduced the bill to establish the Nigerian Peace Corps for a first reading.

It also reintroduced the bill amending the sequence of general elections.

Both bills were rejected by the president weeks ago.

Other bills reintroduced for a possible override of the president’s veto are A Bill for an Act to establish the Chartered Institute of Treasury Management; A Bill for an Act to establish the Nigerian Council for Social Works; A Bill for an Act to amend the currency conversion, freezing orders act to give discretionary powers to the judge of high court to order for forfeiture of assets of affected persons, and a Bill for an Act to establish the police procurement fund.

Others are a Bill for an Act to amend the environmental health officers council registration Act, a Bill for an Act to establish the Chartered Institute of Loan and Risk Management of Nigeria, a Bill for an Act to establish the Chartered Institute of Public Management of Nigeria.

Also included are a Bill for an Act to establish the Chartered Institute of Exports and Community Brokers of Nigeria, and a Bill for an Act to establish the Federal University, Wukari.

The House of Representatives had through its spokesperson, Abdulrazak Namdas, said it would overrule Mr. Buhari on the bills.

It however said it would not override the president on some aspects of the election bill, because the House agreed with the president’s argument on the matter.

He said the House will instead look into the areas of the bill the president disagreed with and re-introduce it for passage.

“We agreed with the first one that the amendment of Section 138 of the principal Act to delete two crucial grounds upon which an election may be challenged by candidates unduly limits the rights of candidates in elections to a free and fair electoral review process. On this, we’ve agreed with the president,” he said.

“We have also agreed with the reason advanced that the amendment of Section 152 of the principal Act, which raises constitutional issues over the competence of the National Assembly to legislate over local government elections. This too we have agreed with. We know that we don’t have the power to act on that.”