Details emerging from the National Assembly indicated at the weekend that a myriad of reasons instigated the Senators to reject the amendments proposed
by President Goodluck Jonathan to the 2010 Electoral Act.
The most contentious of the amendments was the push to make presidential aides and aides of governors automatic delegates to the national conventions of the political parties.
Sources in the Senate however confirmed to the Sunday Tribune that while the lawmakers were not opposed to the idea of granting the request for President Jonathan, many of them were afraid that the governors could use the same clause to knock out a number of senators and members of the House of Representatives.
One of the unstated reasons for the rejection of the bill according to a source had to do with the failure of the Jonathan camp to manage the legislature in a deliberate manner since his inception as president.
A top member of the National Assembly said that the usual consultations between the National Assembly and the Presidency had stopped in the last five months.
“During the period of President Olusegun Obasanjo, we used to meet every week. The late President Umaru Yar’Adua continued with the tradition. Later, he changed it to fortnightly before his sickness became worse. I have not heard of any such meeting of minds in recent months,” a source said.
The source added that the lawmakers, being the active participants in the lawmaking process have to know the underlining effects of every bill before it could be passed into law.
“Our assignment is not just to pass laws that would survive for months. We are passing laws for the good governance of the federation and the generations unborn. So we need to take many things which the executive might overlook into consideration,” another source said.
Besides the said lack of consultations especially among the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) which constitutes an overwhelming majority in the Senate and the House of Representatives, sources also said that words from some interested parties who feared that the governors and the President could have higher advantage if they have limitless number of delegates also played a part in dividing the legislators.
It was also gathered that the Ministry of Justice in sending the bill to the President at this time ignored an expert advice from some influential senators who had opined that the bill should only come after the passage of the Constitution amendment Bill.
Senate spokesman, Senator Ayogu Eze said on Thursday that Wednesday’s rejection of the bill was not targeted at President Goodluck Jonathan.
He said that the lawmakers do not have any axe to grind with the president over any issue at all.
He said: “We are not fighting the President. The rejection of the electoral act amendment bill has nothing to do with the President. We have no issues at all with the President. There is nothing we asked from him that he didn’t do. You will recall that he even appointed one of us as a Minister.
“The target of the rejection is absolutely not the President. The target is whatever will help our democracy. We have no problem with President Jonathan.
“I can confirm to you that the rejection of the bill was not targeted at President Jonathan. There is nothing we are expecting from him and there is no reason to disagree with the President. What we expect him to do is to lead this country and so far he is doing very well.”
The Senator further said: “The President is not the target of our rejecting the amendment. We have no issues with him and I can tell you that we have a smooth relationship with the President. What else do we want, or do you expect him to move the Presidency to the National Assembly?”
Source:http://tribune.com.ng/sun/index.php/front-page-articles/2373-electoral-act-reasons-senate-rejected-amendment-bill
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