Senate rejects 6-yr tenure for president, governors

The House of Senate, yesterday, struck out proposals for a six year single term for the president and governors during voting on the proposals of the Senator Ike Ekweremadu-led Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution.

The senators also altered the constitution to allow automatic codification into the law books of any bill passed by the president after 30 days in the event of the president withholding assent or wielding the veto.

The 101 senators who were present at the session also upheld the committee's recommendation that election disputes be settled within 180 days and that election disputes be resolved before the inauguration into the elective offices.

The Senators also threw out the committee's recommendation for a mayoral status for the Federal Capital Territory and the proposal to split office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation.

The Senate also adopted a recommendation that removed a presidential assent to any bill altering the constitution.

The bill passed by the Senate also gave latitude for underage marriage as it altered section 29, (4), (B) to allow for any woman who is married to be deemed  of full age.

The Senate nevertheless rejected moves to include aviation and prison which are presently on the exclusive list on the concurrent list. Recommendations to delete the National Youths Service Corps and Public Complaints Commission from the Constitution were equally rejected.

With the current position of the upper legislative chamber, proponents of local financial autonomy for local governments, six-year single term for president and state governors, as well as mayoral status for the Federal Capital Territory, have completely failed in their efforts at realizing their goal.

The Senate equally approved the proposal for former Senate Presidents and Deputy Senate Presidents, as well as former Speakers and Deputy Speakers of the House of Representatives to enjoy life-time pension amounting to the equivalent salary of the incumbent holders of such offices.

The upper Chamber killed the proposal for the removal of the National Security Agencies Act and the word 'Force' from the Nigeria Police Force which the proposal had sought to replace with the word 'Service'.

It also rose against the recommendation to transfer Prisons from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List even as it okayed the transfer of labour, pensions and railways, stamp duty, health care, arbitration, agriculture, road safety and youths  to the Concurrent List.

The transfer of labour to the concurrent list if approved by the House of Representatives and adopted by the states could liberalise negotiations giving room for the states to negotiate different minimum wages.

The proposal for removal of the Chief Justice of Nigeria and other serving judicial officers as chairperson and members respectively of the Federal Judicial Service Commission, FJSC, was rejected.

The Ekweremadu led Constitution Review Committee had recommended for the appointment of a retired Chief Justice of Nigeria or retired President of the Court of Appeal as the chairman of the FJSC, even as the lawmakers approved the proposal for direct payment of funds to State Houses of Assembly, State Judiciary and State Independent Electoral Commissions.

In his remark, the Senate President, David Mark, described the process as 'historic' because senators stood up for what they believed in.

'Today is a historic day in the history of democracy in this country.

We have voted in what we believe and we voted for those issues that we think will ensure that democracy continues to mature and take a firm root in this country.

'I want to thank you because I believe that the committee worked very hard to be able to get us to where we are now.

'Whatever emotions or sentiments people had to express we put them in practical terms.

Mark said that a conference committee would be set up between the Senate and the House of Representatives to harmonise their positions before forwarding to State Assemblies.