The Senate on Tuesday went into a closed session to take a position on President Muhammdu Buhari refusal to assent to the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill.
Senate President Ahmad Lawan arrived the Chambers, took the opening prayers at 10.42am and announced that the upper chamber would go into a closed session.
Buhari had rejected the Electoral Bill, citing security, cost and other implications on the country’s electoral system and political parties.
It was observed that only a handful of Senators were at the chambers before the closed session commenced.
It is believed that the lawmakers would discuss the rejection of the Bill and take a position on whether to allow sleeping dog lie or recall the Bill and pass it with a two-thirds majority.
Meanwhile, the Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila has formerly received and read the letter conveying the President’s reasons for withholding his assent to the Electoral amendment bill.
This has confirmed media reports that the President had indeed rejected the bill.
In the letter, the President advanced a couple of reasons for withholding the signature.
The mood of the House can be described as somber as Gbajabiamila read the letter.
“The conduct of direct primaries across the 8,809 wards across the length and breadth of the country will lead to a significant spike in the cost of conducting primary elections by parties as well as increase in the cost of monitoring such elections by INEC who has to deploy monitors across these wards each time a party is to conduct direct primaries for the presidential, gubernatorial and legislative posts”, the President said amid other reasons.
The Nation / Vanguard
