Vested Interests Threaten Passage of Constitutional Amendment Bill-NAS

By: Politics Editor
Twenty five Governor’s whose state Houses of Assemblies are yet to pass the constitutional amendment bill, forwarded to them by the National Assembly may be plotting to furastrate the bill.
Chairman and co- chairman of the joint National Assembly committee on the constitutional amendment, Ovie Omo- Agege and Idris Wase told a press conference in Abuja that only 11 out of the 36 state Houses of Assembly have passed the bill so far.
According to the committee leaders, there are vested interests in the bill and it’s passage is creating issues between the national Assembly and state Houses of Assemblies.
They said a letter sent to the committee by the Forum of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly clearly spelt out the interests of the governor’s, to wit creation of state police, independence of the legislature and the judiciary, amongst others.
At a time the committee expected that the Houses if Assembly should have passed the bill and sent it back for further necessary action, the Governor’s seemed to have prevailed on them not to do so, unless Thier own proposals are accommodated, they alleged.
A total of 66 alterations were proposed but only 44 got the approval of both chambers of the National Assembly, which were subsequently forwarded to the State Hous s if Assemblies for ratification, the duo averred.
They further explained that before the proposals were arrived at, the national Assembly exhaustively and painstakingly engagged the state Houses of Assemblies, and wondered why the ratification processes is being delayed.
In urging the state Houses of Assemblies to expedite action and pass the bill for further action before the expiration of the 9th Assembly, the chairmen stressed the need for strengthening the nation’s democracy with the bill.
They argued that the passage of the constitution amendment bill will further consolidate the gains of the electoral process, which earlier amendments have strengthened.