President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki is reportedly angry the with Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, over the lingering issue of overriding President Muhammadu Buhari on the Electoral Act Amendment bill.
Leaders of both chambers of the National Assembly are not comfortable over each other’s position on the matter, according to Daily Trust.
There is a simmering disagreement between Saraki and Dogara, over a plot by legislators to override Buhari.
Some lawmakers anonymously told the newspaper that while Saraki wanted and canvassed for the override, Dogara allowed the House to resolve to revisit the bill.
The action was said to have angered the senate president, even as the senate resolved Thursday to write to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, over a High Court ruling restraining the National Assembly from further action on the amendment.
According to the report, the House of Representatives has agreed with the president on two of his three reasons for withholding assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
The president in his letter to the National Assembly cited three constitutional matters for withholding assent to the bill.
House spokesman, Abdulrazak Namdas, told newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday that they would re-introduce the bill and pass it for second and third readings before re-transmitting it to the president.
It was, however, gathered that with the development in the House Representatives, the senate has no option than to follow the decision to revisit the bill.
One of the lawmakers told the newspaper, “We will allow them (House) to conclude work on it and they will send it to us for concurrence.”
The lawmaker said left for Saraki both chambers would proceed straight to override the president without considering the reasons he gave.
He said, “But we felt that the president was right in some aspects, that’s why this thing about revisiting the bill came up. As it is, proponents of the bill in the senate are not happy.”
Asked if the two chambers would get the two-thirds majority to override the president if he declines assent to the bill again, the lawmaker said: “In the senate, I think they can get the two-thirds, but in the House, I doubt if that is possible.
“The truth is that there’s an ulterior motive to the amendment. You can see that PDP members are more interested in the whole thing.”
On whether Dogara is personally in support of the bill, he said, “One can say yes and no, regarding his support for the bill. From his body language, he wants to allow members to have their own say.”
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