The House of Representatives Tuesday adopted its conference committee’s report on Electoral Act amendment Bill, signaling its final passage by both houses of the National Assembly.
This however was not without a brief opposition the move by Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu, who on order of personal privilege insisted that the content of the report was not known to members, before the move to have it considered and adopted, asking therefore that it be stepped down.
But Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila stated that all the issues involved were already public, especially with the earlier adoption of the report by the Senate.
Addressing journalists afterwards, spokesman of the House, Benjamin Kalu and chairman of the House’s Conference Committee, Akeem Adeyemi, described the development as the final stage of the process, noting that the baton has been passed to President Muhammadu Buhari for his assent.
Kalu who gave assurances that clean copy of the bill may within one week, be transmitted by the National Assembly’s bureaucracy to the presidency, also explained that the process have gone beyond any possible adjustment to the content as adopted by both chambers.
On if Buhari withholds assent to the latest efforts of the parliament, Kalu said “we cannot predict, or prophesy on the next action of Mr. President,” adding that the House has fulfilled its own part as required by the processed involved in lawmaking.
He said if however the president take a position on such matters which the parliament is not comfortable with, “the law is very clear”, adding, “We won’t want to preempt Mr. President. When we get to the bridge, we’ll cross it.”
