Constitution Amendment: President Jonathan To Sign Amendment Bill Before Exit

Source: thewillnigeria.com

SAN FRANCISCO, May 27, (THEWILL) – Relief may have come at last for both President Goodluck Jonathan and the National Assembly as both parties have decided their feud over the amendments to the 1999 Constitution out-of-court.

Subsequently, indications emerged on Wednesday that President Jonathan would sign into law the 4th Alteration Bill for the amendment of the 1999 Constitution on Thursday following the resolution of the contending issues.

On Monday, the Supreme Court ordered that the two parties to a suit on the matter before it should go and settle their differences out-of-court and report back to the court within 48 hours .

The order forced the Federal Government to discontinue the two cases filed by the Attorney General of the Federation and the one filed by Jonathan.

Under the new deal which was ratified by a full panel of the Supreme Court headed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria CJN, Justice Mohammed Mahmud, both parties had to make concessions.

Speaking on the new deal, counsel to the Federal Government, Chief Bayo Ojo (SAN), in his address to the apex court on Wednesday, said: “For the agreement to be reached, both parties made concessions. A new suit filed in the name of the president is to be withdrawn along with the old one filed by the AGF. I thank My Lords for your patience an‎d understanding.”

THEWILL recalls that the Federal Government had objected to seven major issues but four were said to have been resolved in its favour, while three reportedly went in favour of the National Assembly. The withdrawal of the suit is said to be one of the resolved issues.

Also, THEWILL can report that both parties agreed that the provisions on Free Basic Education and Maternal Health Care Services should be expunged since other laws had provided for what they were meant to achieve. The Executive had challenged this amendment.

The issue of spending before the passage of budget is said to have gone the way of the National Assembly, among others while the resolution of the controversy over the split the offices of the Accountant General of the Federation and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, was said to be evenly split between the two parties. The Federal Government reportedly got one office to remain organic, while the other was conceded to the National Asembly for a split.

Ruling on the matter, the CJN said: “Both parties having taken the opportunity offered them by the Supreme Court to settle the matter. Having resolved their disputes amicably and having filed notices of discontinuance, both cases are hereby struck out.”

In his response, counsel to the National Assembly, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), said: “It is correct, we have resolved our differences through concessions from both sides,” even as he expressed gratitude to the justices for their maturity in the matter, adding that the judicial mediation worked very well for both parties.

When the settlement was announced Wednesday, the Supreme Court had stood the matter down for further consultation but later reconvened at about 4pm to endorse the deal between both parties after which the counsel to the two parties in the suit, Ojo and Awomolo signed the deal on behalf of their clients.