Confab: Referendum is illegal – Reps

— 2014 budget ‘maybe passed next week’

The House of Representatives has said that the National Conference reports could only be subjected to a referendum if the nation’s Constitution is amended to accommodate it.
It said that there was nothing before the lower chamber to suggest that the constitution would be amended to accommodate it.

Making this clarification yesterday at a weekly press briefing, the Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Media, Victor Ogene, said that Chapter one Part 2 of the constitution ought to be amended to accommodate the referendum.

He said that the present constitution did not have any provision for such referendum.
President Goodluck Jonathan had reversed himself on the need for a referendum while inaugurating the National Conference.
Contrary to his earlier stand that resolutions reached by the conference would be sent to the National Assembly for deliberation, Jonathan said at the inauguration that such decision would be sent to Nigerians for a referendum.

“Let me at this point thank the National Assembly for introducing the provision for a referendum in the proposed amendment of the Constitution,” he had said during the inauguration.
“This should be relevant for this conference if at the end of the deliberations the need for a referendum arises.”

Meanwhile, Ogene said that barring any other unforeseen circumstances, the 2014 budget would be passed into law first week of April.
He blamed the delay on the inability of some ministers to honour scheduled appointments, leading to rescheduling on such budget defence.
“The budget process is on. In fact, work is almost concluded on it. The budget should be ready by first week in April,” he said.