The Nation Newspaper

Tag: The Senate

  • Senate stops 38 agencies from expenditure of capital votes

    Senate stops 38 agencies from expenditure of capital votes

    …Gives Buhari two week ultimatum to submit budget

     

    The Senate Tuesday barred 38 corporations, agencies and parastatals from further expenditure of their capital budget 2017.

    The upper chamber also gave President Muhammadu Buhari two week ultimatum to submit the 2017 budget of corporations, agencies and parastatals of the Federal Government for consideration and approval of the National Assembly.

    It said that the submission of the budget proposals should be done within two weeks in compliance with the Fiscal Responsibility Act and the Constitution.

    It resolved that affected corporations, agencies and parastatals should stop forthwith further expenditure from their capital vote pending the submission of their 2017 budget to the National Assembly in line with Section 21 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

    The lawmakers further resolved that to urgently amend the Fiscal Responsibility Act to penalize infractions of non-submission of budget for appropriation.

    Only on Tuesday, the Senate said that 38 agencies are in breach of the Fiscal Responsibility Act for failure to submit their 2017 budget for approval by the National Assembly.

    The resolutions followed the unanimous adoption of a motion entitled: “Non-submission of 2017 budget by public corporations in violation of the Fiscal Responsibility Act” sponsored by Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah (Kebbi South).

    Na’Allah in his lead debate said that the Senate should be worried about the non-submission of the 2017 budget proposal by statutory corporations to the National Assembly.

    He noted that Section 21(1)(2) and (3) of the FRA stipulates that “The government Corporations and agencies and government owned companies listed in the Schedule to this Act (in this Act referred to as the Corporation) shall, not latter that six months from the commencement of this Act and for every three financial years thereafter and not later than the end of the second quarter of every year, cause to be prepared and submitted to the Minister their Schedule estimates of revenue and expenditure for the next three financial year.

    The Act also said that “Each of the bodies referred to in Section (1) of this Section shall submit to the Minister not later the end of August in each financial year: a, An annual budget derived from the estimates submitted in pursuance of subsection (1) of this section; and b, projected operating surplus which shall be prepared in line with acceptable accounting practices”…….

    Na’ Allah observed that non-compliance to the provisions of the FRA constitutes abuse of power and economic sabotage aimed at frustrating the current economic measures being taken by the present administration to address the economic recession.

    He noted that the absence of penalties in the provisions of FRA have emboldened and encouraged the perpetration of the Act.

    Na’Allah said that Senate should be concerned that the FRA is failing in its responsibility through complacence in the execution of its mandate.

    Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu who seconded the motion noted that the Constitution is supreme while its provisions shall be a binding force on all authorities and persons throughout the country.

    Ekweremadu said, “This constitution is supreme and its provisions shall have a binding force on all authorities and persons throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It goes further in section 80(2) to say that “No money shall be withdrawn from the consolidated revenue fund of the federation except in the manner prescribed by the National Assembly.”

    “We are here talking about responsibility of governance. There cannot be any hard responsibility than Fiscal Responsibility because that is the beginning of all evils, we must begin to ensure that we live by the laws we make for ourselves. If we say that ministers are supposed to send the estimates of various agencies under them with the appropriation act of each year that has to be done.

    “I recall Mr. President in 2016, President Muhammadu Buhari sends to this National Assembly the appropriation bill for that year together with those estimates. While in 2017, the ministers find it impossible to accompany the same appropriation act 2017 with those estimates of the agencies under them.

    “We cannot be going forth and back. I believe that this is time for us to insist under section 88 that gives us power of oversight that this has to be done. We make laws here for the good governance of this country and that is actually what we have to insist. I believe that time has come when we are going to insist that all agencies should stop the expenditure of public funds unless it is appropriated in accordance with section 80 of the constitution which we have sworn to uphold.

    “It is our responsibility today to ensure that ultimatum is given to agencies under this government to bring this estimates for us to duly appropriate that is why the constitution provided for a full time legislature because there are enormous work to be done.”

    Senator George Thompson Sekibo (River East) asked “if a man who is to give the law fails the law but happens to him because if a man puts a law and another man fails.”

    He described the non-submission of the budget estimates of the agencies as a gross misconduct that should not be glozed over “because they are spending public funds.

    Senator Solomon Adeola said that the non-submission of the estimates is deliberate.

    He suggested that committees should meet with affected agencies.

    Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, thank Na’Allah “for this important motion.”

    Saraki said that the motion is at the heart of the fight against corruption in the country.

    He said,”Truly this motion is at the heart of this fight against corruption and it is very important as we have seen that independent revenue, the amount of money from independent revenue even exceeds how much we get on oil revenue.

    “So, it is a huge amount to our revenue line even when we are talking about looking for money to fund projects, hospitals, education. This is where the source of the revenue are and I cannot see how we can continue in a society where we are fighting corruption where people will be spending money without approval, without appropriations, it must stop, it will stop and it is going to stop from now.

    “Clearly we have made our position that based on this amendment this agencies they must get their budget to us in two weeks and committee chairmen I want to appeal that once we get the budget on our own part as well let’s ensure that we do it publicly, very diligently and try and turn it around as quickly as possible.”

    Saraki also said that agencies that did not pass through the right channel to submit their budget to the National Assembly should do the right thing.

    Affected agencies included Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC,) Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASEI), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).

    Others are the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), National Maritime Authority (NMA), Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), Nigerian Postal Service (NPS), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

    The list also includes the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), National Communications Commission (NCC), National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) and National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).

    Others are National Insurance Commission (NIC), News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Nigerian Copyrights Commission (NCC), Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Radio Nigeria, Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA), National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB), Federal Mortgage Bank, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), as well as Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority (OGZFA).

     

  • 2017 budget: Senate gives to NNPC, CBN, 36 others marching order

    2017 budget: Senate gives to NNPC, CBN, 36 others marching order

    The Senate Tuesday gave marching orders to the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, Central Bank of Nigeria, Federal Inland Revenue Service and 35 other Federal Government agencies to submit their 2017 budget proposals for approval or risk sanction.

    The upper chamber said that it was unbecoming that five months into the year, 38 statutory agencies of the Federal Government have failed to submit their budget proposal for the 2017 fiscal year.

    It said that the agencies continued to make huge extra budgetary expenditure against the law establishing them.

    Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah (Kebbi South) drew the attention of the Senate   to what he described as the abnormality of the agencies to submit their budgets for the approval of the National Assembly.

    Na’Allah noted it is wrong for agencies to spend money that has not been appropriated by the legislature.

    Na’Allah told the Senate that he intends to bring the issue to the floor as a motion so that Senators will understand the implications and the need to assist the government to fight corruption.

    He said, “I deliberately decided that I will bring it on the floor, so that Senators will understand the implications.

    “In our commitment to assist this government to fight corruption, we must stand on our feet that every spirit of our law must be obeyed by those holding public offices. I think that if you permit me I will like to come tomorrow by way of motion, so it can be debated on the Floor of the Senate.”

    “The only approach this Senate can take to assist this government in fighting corruption, is to insist that gross abuse of power and misuse of power must be stopped by every government agency. The only way we can build our institutions is to radically address the issue of abuse of power and misuse of power. I think that if you give me permission, I will like to bring it tomorrow as a motion.”

    Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, who agreed with the submission of Na’Allah expressed displeasure over the failure by most government agencies to submit their 2017 budget proposals to the National Assembly for consideration and approval.

    Saraki condemned the practice where agencies of government spend money without statutory approval by the National Assembly.

    He ruled that the Senate would comprehensively debate the issue and take a resolution today.

    Saraki said: “We are already in May.  How can parastatals be operating without any budget, especially in this time of the fight against corruption and ensuring that there is transparency in governance? We need to take this matter seriously because clearly these agencies are just flouting the guidelines and breaking the law.

    “This is a very serious issue because as we all know, in line with the Fiscal Responsibility Act, these budgets are meant to have been submitted to the National Assembly since August 2016.

    “They are supposed to have come with the Appropriation document. We have now passed the 2017 budget without the budgets of the parastatals. I think this matter really needs to come up as a motion because this is a very serious matter. We need to debate it.

    “Leader, this is a very important issue and we must debate it tomorrow and if there is any Committee in exception or that have received from agencies they oversight, then they will have the opportunity to at least clear the parastatals and Agencies, that have sent their budgets.

    “But if as at middle of May, we are saying we have not received any budget from them, then which money are they spending and with what authority? We need to look into that and take a decision that may be they can only pay salaries until they bring their budgets here and approvals given.

    “I think once and for all, we need to address this issue and put an end to this disregard for laws and areas of corrupt practices,” the Senate President said.

    Agencies that are supposed to submit their budget proposals for approval by the National Assembly included NNPC, CBN, Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASEI), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).

    Others are the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), National Maritime Authority (NMA), Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), Nigerian Postal Service (NPS), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

    The list also includes the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), National Communications Commission (NCC), National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) and National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).

    Others are National Insurance Commission (NIC), News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Nigerian Copyrights Commission (NCC), Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Radio Nigeria, Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA), National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB), Federal Mortgage Bank, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), as well as Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority (OGZFA)

     

  • Submission of 2017 budget report suffers setback in Senate

    Submission of 2017 budget report suffers setback in Senate

    …2016 budget to run till end of June, says Ekweremadu

     

    The Senate Thursday deferred the presentation and consideration of the 2017 budget report.

    The presentation and subsequent consideration of the budget report would have paved the way to the passage of the budget submitted to the National Assembly on December 14th, 2016.

    Although the submission of the report was listed as the first business of the day in yesterday’s Order Paper, it was stepped down.

    The inability of the Senate Appropriation committee to conclude work on the fiscal document was cited as the reason for stepping it down.

    Senate Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan, told his colleagues that members of the Appropriation committee of the Senate and House of Representatives were working assiduously to resolve grey areas in the money bill.

    Senator Lawan further informed that the budget report is now expected to be laid on May 9th, 2017.

    The Senate leader did not say whether the budget will be passed on Tuesday.

    Lawan said: “The committee chairman on Appropriations is not here. His counterpart who chairs the Finance committee is not here either. I am aware that members of Senate Appropriation committee are currently meeting with their counterparts in the House of Representatives, trying to settle the differences.

    “‎I have also equally been informed that by the grace of God, the budget of 2017 will be laid on Tuesday. Having said this, I will move that we stand down this report till Tuesday.‎”

    Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the day’s legislative business, said that there was no need to apprehension over the passage of the budget.

    Ekeremadu noted that the 2016 budget could still run till end of June, within which the 2017 budget would be passed.

    Ekweremadu said, “Let me also emphasise for the benefit of the public that we were ready to receive this report today. It was only this morning that it was necessary for us to be sure that we are on the same page with the House of Representatives to avoid any possible conferencing.

    “So we will like to see the House and the Senate laying just the same documents so that once we pass, we will now send the documents to the President for assent.

    “I think this is important that the point be made and the public know that the harmonization which is going on should be concluded over the weekend to enable us receive the budget report by Tuesday and by the grace of God, have it passed by next week and we will send it to the President for assent.

    “Let me also inform the public as well that the tenure of the 2016 budget ends today the 5th because it was signed into law on the 6th of May 2016, but under the constitution, the Federal Government is entitled to continue to spend money based on the 2016 estimates up to the 30th of June, 2017.

    “But we will not allow us to get into the reliance on the constitutional provision. Hopefully by the grace of God, we will have this budget next week. We will pass it so that implementation will start in earnest. So I just want to appeal for the understanding of the people of Nigeria.”

    President Muhammadu Buhari signed the 2016 budget into law on the 6th of May, 2016.

    The lifespan of the 2016 budget expires today, Friday, 5th May, 2017.

    There was apprehension of a possible shutdown if the budget is not passed and assented to today.

  • Senate to receive report of 2017 budget Tuesday

    Senate to receive report of 2017 budget Tuesday

    The Senate on Thursday postponed the laying of the report of the 2017 budget.

    The Laying of budget report which was earlier listed in the order paper for Thursday has been postponed to Tuesday May 9.

    Details later…

  • Senate dumps Peace Corps bill

    Senate dumps Peace Corps bill

    The Senate on Tuesday dumped the passage of the Peace Corps Bill.

    It cited fraud, irregularities in the recruitment process and pending court case as reasons for stepping down the passage of the bill.

    The bill is seeking the establishment of the Peace Corps of Nigeria.

    Details later.

  • Buhari renominates 82-year-old ambassadorial nominee, two others

    Buhari renominates 82-year-old ambassadorial nominee, two others

    . . .CBN board members too

    President Muhammadu Buhari has renominated 82-year-old retired Justice Sylvanus Nsofor (Imo) for the Senate’s consideration for a second time.

    The Senate had, a few weeks back, rejected Nsofor on grounds of old age and health related issues.

    Besides Nsofor also failed to recite the national anthem and refused to answer questions directed at him by the Senate committee on Foreign Affairs that screened him and others.

    The names of Joseph Olusola Iji (Ondo) and retired Commodore Yusuf Hinna (Gombe) were also included in the list.

    The bulk of the ambassadorial nominees had already been screened and cleared by the Senate and the successful candidates had already been assigned their designated countries of posting.

    President Buhari’s letter to the Senate was dated March 29, 2017 and addressed to the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki.

    The President also forwarded the names of five nominees for confirmation as Non-Executive Directors of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

    The nominees are Prof Ummu Ahmed Jalingo (North East), Prof Justitia Odinakachukwu Nnabuko (South East), Prof Mike Obadan (South South), Dr. Abdu Abubakar (North West), Adeola Adetunji (South West).

    The President’s message was conveyed through a letter to the President of the Senate, dated April 11, 2017 addressed to the President of the Senate.

    President Buhari urged the Senate to expedite action on the screening and consideration of the two sets of nominees.

  • Senate probes banks over N30tr foreign exchange manipulation

    Senate probes banks over N30tr foreign exchange manipulation

    The Senate Wednesday launched investigation into alleged foreign exchange allocation manipulation involving over N30 trillion.
    Many banks operating in the country were fingered in the deal said to have been perpetrated between 2006 and 2017.
    The banks were specifically queried over alleged manipulation and connivance with importers to defraud the country of huge sums of money.
    The investigation followed Senate mandate to its Committee on Customs and Excise to probe and identify revenue leakages and malpractices in the import and export chain.
    Chairman of the committee, Senator Hope Uzodinma who invited chief executives of banks handed them bulky documents detailing the amount of foreign exchange they received on behalf their importer customers.
    Uzondinma gave the banks three weeks to furnish the committee with details of the utilization of the foreign exchange they bought on behalf of their customers.
    He noted that preliminary investigation by the committee showed malpractices ranging from unutilised Form M, abandoned Form M, partially utilised Form M, abandoned assessments of Custom duties and foreign exchange allocation manipulation.
    Uzodinma said, “You recall Senate that in plenary mandated this committee to investigate and identify areas of revenue leakages in the entire import and export circle.
    “The committee started investigation and took time to enter into the import and export value chain and identified supposedly areas of leakages and malpractices, ranging from unutilised Form M, abandoned Form M, partially utilised Form M, abandoned assessments of Custom Duties and foreign exchange allocation manipulation.
    “We have been able to also go into the database of the operating system in the Nigerian Customs Service. We identified Form M by Form M, import by import, vessel by vessel, liabilities of importers and commercial banks that are yet to be handled.
    “We are talking about monies in the regions of over N30trillion. We have been able to give all this information to the various banks who purchased foreign exchange on behalf of the importers to go home and come back to show us evidence of utilisation of the forex.
    Failure of the banks to give evidence of utilization they will be compelled to refund the foreign exchange they bought from Central Bank of Nigeria or inter-bank, purposely to be used for import.
    “What we are saying in essence is that the amount of foreign exchange government is giving out to commercial banks and importers for the purposes of importation are not being utilised as agreed.
    “This is making foreign exchange scarce in the market. In essence making the foreign exchange that government is giving to importers not to be tied to activities of importation.
    “So, we don’t see this as a healthy development because in the process, some Asian companies are now round-tripping, sending monies that they don’t deserve out of this country without due process.
    “I’m sure that by the time we conclude this investigation and action plan that we set out to implement, I can tell you that the exchange rate will come down drastically because only genuine importers will now enjoy government forex allocation.”
    On the banks involved, Uzodinma said that no bank is exempted.
    He said, “All the banks are involved; the banks that are dead and the ones living. The ones that are no more operating were acquired by some banks. So, the activities of those that are no longer in operation we have been able to tie them to those that acquired them as part of the liabilities. Of course, we will expect that most of the banks that acquired these banks must have carried due diligence on them.”

    On why banks alone were fingered in the deal, Uzodinma said that the Foreign Exchange Utilisation Manual prepared by the Central Bank as a regulation guiding import and export entrusted commercial banks quantum of responsibilities.
    He explained that banks purchase money on behalf of the importers.
    “So, once you are acting on behalf of somebody the offence or the inaction of that person is your own inaction. We are now calling the banks because they are supposed to be the gateway for us to enter into the stream.
    “So, by the time the banks who must have carried out Know Your Customer programme, they know the addresses, the places of these importers and they are the people that opened Form M for them.
    “They are the people that purchased foreign exchange for them. The regulation requires them to monitor to ensure that these importers pay the correct custom duties on the importation. Also, there is what we call Bills for Collection.  It is the responsibility of the banks to know, ascertain and confirm that the documents sent as Bill for Collection that will warrant the release of the forex to the exporter are genuine. It is contained in the manual,” he said.
    Uzodinma said that Minister of Finance, CBN governor, Minister of National Planning and Comptroller General of Customs have been invited to appear at the next sitting of the committee on the issue.
  • Senate seeks police, military collaboration to rid Lagos of kidnappers

    Senate seeks police, military collaboration to rid Lagos of kidnappers

    The Senate Tuesday resolved to ask the Federal Government to mandate the Nigeria Army, Navy and other security agencies to assist the Police in its quest to rid Lagos State particularly the creeks in Lagos East Senatorial District of criminal syndicates making use of its waterways to perpetuate crime.

    The upper chamber also urged the government to direct the inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, to immediately instruct the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, to beef up the strength of the task force already constituted in order to effectively secure all the affected creeks and communities.

    It also advised the government to direct Mr. Idris to immediately make available sufficient helicopters for aerial surveillance and gunboats to the Marine Police department of the Lagos State Police Command to enable the State Command to effectively tackle the activities of militants in Lagos State.

    The resolutions followed the adoption of a motion on “the urgent need for the Nigerian Police Force and other security agencies to intervene in the increased rate of kidnapping in the Lagos East Senatorial District and securing the water ways.”

    Senator Gbenga Ashafa (Lagos East) who sponsored the motion in his lead debate noted recent increase in the activities of criminal syndicates who specialize in kidnapping/militant activities in and around communities in the Lagos East Senatorial District, particularly Kosofe, Epe, Ikorodu, Ibeju Lekki Local Government Areas.

    Ashafa expressed concern that the activities of the criminals have forced law-abiding residents of coastal/riverine communities of the affected communities to flee their communities and livelihood out of fear.

    He further expressed concern that on Friday, 7th April, 2017 one Mr. Ademola Salami, a 42 year old plank dealer was kidnapped in Ise community in Ibeju Lekki area of Lagos East Senatorial District by seven dare devil abductors, who escaped in a gunboat via the river.

    The abductors, he said, were demanding the sum of N100 million as ransom for his release.

    Ashafa said that “the situation is now so bad that even prominent citizens of Ise community, including HRM, Kabiyesi Onise of Ise, Oba Ganiyu Adegbesan, has had to vacate the community due to the level of insecurity in the area.”

    He said that it is disturbing that for the past seven years, a divisional Police station commissioned in Ise had been a ghost of itself as no police officers were deployed there until the recent attack.

    He recalled that a publication had the report of the case of two sand dredgers who were kidnapped in Ibeju Lekki by kidnappers that also stormed the community in a gunboat.

    Ashafa further recalled that between April and July, 2016 there were reports of militant activities in some communities in Ikorodu, including Elepete, Agbede, Ishawo and Igbo-Olomu, which led to the death of residents.

    He said that the militants were equally reported to have stormed the communities through the creeks using gunboats.

    The lawmaker said that he is “alarmed that the recent kidnap incidents have assumed a totally new and disturbing dimension in the sense that just yesterday, 9th April, 2017 an army Captain, identified as Muhammed, two other rank soldiers, four policemen, and a civilian lost their lives after suspected militants attacked Ishawo, in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State.

    “The late security operatives were responding to a distress call after the militants stormed and kidnapped some residents of Woodland Estate, close to the Ishawo creeks with about 10 speedboats according to reports relayed online.

    “It was also reported that other innocent citizens who were seriously injured are now receiving treatment at the Ikorodu General Hospital,” he lamented.

    He said that it is obvious that the activities of the criminal syndicates have caused untold hardship to the people of Lagos East Senatorial district and the intervention of the Federal Government is urgently required.

     

  • 2019: Senate approves electronic voting, legalises card reader

    2019: Senate approves electronic voting, legalises card reader

    The Senate on Thursday approved electronic voting in the 2019 general elections and other future elections.

    It also empowered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deploy the card reader device for voter accreditation.

    The Senate also addressed confusion that could from sudden death of candidate of a political party before conclusion of election.

    Political party of such a dead candidate is mandated to conduct fresh primary election to elect a new candidate within 14 days, while the INEC is given 21 days to conclude the election with the transfer of votes of the deceased candidate to the new one.

    Among the sweeping provisions contained in the 2017 Electoral Act passed into law by the Senate included Section 52 (2), which states that, “The electoral commission shall adopt electronic voting in all elections or any other method of voting as may be determined by the commission from time to time”

    The said section however gives the INEC the discretion to use other methods of voting if it is impracticable to use electronic voting in any given election.

    Recommended along with the electronic voting proposal, as contained in the Act, is the card reader innovation used by INEC in the 2015 general election.

    The device was legalised by the Act under Section 49 which deals with accreditation of voters, transmission of accreditation data etc.

    Specifically the Act under section 49 (2) states that, “The Presiding officer shall use a smart card reader or any other technological device that may be prescribed by the commission from time to time for the accreditation of voters, to verify, confirm or authenticate the genuineness or otherwise of the voter’s card”.

    The amendment also took care of the scenario that played out in the November 2015 governorship election in Kogi State where the death of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the late Abubakar Audu created crisis within the party.

    Section 36 (a) (b) (c) addressed such unforeseen circumstances typical of the confusion that ensued after Audu’s death and the recrimination that greeted the merge cells of Alhaji Yahaya Bello as his replacement in the Kogi election.

    The Section states in (3) that “If after the commencement of poll and before the announcement of the final result and declaration of a winner, a nominated candidate dies, (a) the Commission shall, being satisfied of the fact of the death, suspend the election for a period not exceeding 21 days;

    It states in (b) that “the political party whose candidate died may, if it intends to continue to participate in the election, conduct a fresh direct primary within 14 days of the death of its candidate and submit a new candidate to the Commission to replace the dead candidate; and

    (c) Subject to paragraphs (a) and (b) of this subsection, the Commission shall continue with the election, announce the final result and declare a winner”.

    Other provisions contained in the Act are section 8 (5) where any staff of INEC found to be registered member of any of the political parties is liable to an offence carrying 5 years jail term or N5, 000,000.00 fine or both.

    Section 87 deals with nominations of candidates by parties for election from councillorship to presidency, with pegging of the amounts that should be collected from them by their various political parties.

    The Act states that monies collected from aspirants by political parties for councillorship election should not exceed  N150, 000.00; Local Government Chairman, N250, 000.00; State House of Assembly member N500, 000.00; House of Representatives member N1,000,000.00; Senatorial aspirant N2, 000,000.00; Governor of a State N5, 000, 000.00; and N10, 000,000.00 from a presidential aspirant.

    Other provisions in the Act gave specific guidelines for political parties in election of delegates for their primary elections whether direct or indirect and jurisdictions of courts over such  primary elections.

    The Act under jurisdiction of courts specifically stated that though courts can entertain cases relating or arising from conduct of party primaries from aggrieved aspirants but cannot stop any of the primary elections from holding.

    The provisions state that, “Notwithstanding the provisions of this Act or rules of a political party , an aspirant who complains that any of the provisions of this Act or rules of a political party has not been complied with in the nomination of a candidate of a political party for election, may apply to the Federal High Court or the High Court of a state or the FCT for redress.

    “However nothing in this session shall empower the courts to stop the holding of ad-hoc delegates elections, primaries or general election or the processes thereof under this Act pending the determination of the suit”.

    The passage of the bill followed the consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on a Bill for an Act to amend the Electoral Act No. 6, 2010 and for other related matters (SB 231 and SB 234).

    Commenting after the adoption of the report, President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, thanked his colleagues for what he described as a job well done and expressed optimism that the Bill would further improve the nation’s electoral system and also contribute to good governance.

    Saraki said, “Distinguished colleagues, let me thank all of you for this job well done. I want to particularly thank the members of the Committee on INEC and particularly the former chairman of the Committee, Abubakar Kyari,  Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and all the members of the committee who have worked very hard to ensure the passage of this very important bill which addresses our electoral process and goes on to strengthen our democracy.

    “We have touched on new areas which I believe will improve the credibility of our elections and by so doing, definitely improve our democracy and good governance.

    “Most importantly, I think, are some of the new sections we have added, in the area of technology, the smart card reader, and particularly the area of collation which has been an area of great concern.

    “Collation of results after the polling units and some of the additions we put on the electronic way by which the compilation of results can be done, I think will go a long way to reduce some of the irregularities we have seen before.

    “This is a great work you have been able to put together today and I want to commend everybody. I am also happy that we have passed the amendments very early. My concern has always been that if we don’t do it now, it will get more difficult as we get blown to the 2019 elections.

    “We hope that with this Bill that we have passed, very soon, we will sit together with the House of Representatives to be able to get the copy to the President for assent.

    “I think when signed into law, it will enable INEC to have something to work early enough. I think what we have done today will really put our electoral law among the best that we have and it will go a long way in improving our electoral process”.

     

  • Senate exonerates Saraki, Melaye

    Senate exonerates Saraki, Melaye

    The Senate on Wednesday exonerated the President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki over his alleged involvement in the importation of an SUV Range Rover bullet proof car.

    This followed the commendation of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions which investigated the allegation and found him not culpable.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that Saraki denied importing any bullet proof car contrary to the report before the Senate.

    Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Sam Anyanwu, presented the committee’s report at plenary session which exonerated Saraki of any wrong doing.

    Anyanwu said “the name of the Senate President was not mentioned anywhere in the Bill of lading or any document whatsoever connected with the importation or purchase of the SUV Range Rover.

    “We observed that he did not import any SUV Range Rover as corroborated by all respondents.

    “This story was cooked up with intent to embarrass the Senate President, the Senate and by extension, the National Assembly.

    “That the complainant did not conduct due diligence before bringing the matter to the floor of the Senate.”

    The report similarly confirmed that Sen. Dino Melaye (APC-Kogi) obtained a first degree in Geography from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

    Anyanwu said since Ndume failed to cross-check facts before presentation at plenary session, he had brought the integrity of both Melaye and the Senate into disrepute.

    He said the committee consequently recommended sanction against Ndume for not being a patriotic representative of the Senate, and should serve as deterrent to others.

    The Deputy President of Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over plenary, said great lesson had been learnt. “We should investigate matter before we allege them”, he said.

    Ekweremadu commended the committee for a thorough investigation within the given time frame.

    “We look forward to a more united Senate. We should work for the betterment of the Senate”, he said.