Electoral Act, CBN Deputy Governors, Funding for Healthcare: Stories from the Senate Today
The President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, today read an Executive Communication from President Muhammadu Buhari, withholding assent on the Electoral Act of 2018, passed by the National Assembly.
In his letter, President Buhari stated:
Some of my reasons include the following:
“A. The amendment to the sequence of elections in Section 25 of the principal act, may infringe upon the constitutionally guaranteed discretion of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to organize, undertake and supervise elections provided in Section 15(A) of the third statue to the Constitution;
“B. The amend to Section 138 of the principal act to delete two crucial grounds upon which an election may be challenged by candidates, unduly limits the rights of candidates in elections to a free and fair electoral review process; and
“C. The amendment to Section 152 Subsection 325 of the Principal Act may raise Constitutional issues over the competence of the National Assembly to legislate over local government elections.”
Senate President Directs Senate Committee on Banking and Finance to Begin Process of Screening CBN Deputy Governors
President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, today directed the Senate Committee on Banking and Finance, chaired by Senator Rafiu Ibrahim, to begin the process of screening the 2 nominees for Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria.
Speaking after a Point of Order raised by Senator Rafiu Ibrahim, which stated that the Senate should consider the screening of 2 Deputy Governors as members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to enable the MPC to continue to direct the affairs of CBN, the Senate President said:
“Thank you for bringing that up. I commend my colleagues for the statesmanship roles that they continue to play. This is a Chamber that has always been for the issue of the economy. For all it takes, we will continue to ensure that we see the best in the ease of doing business and promoting confidence.
“Inasmuch as we continue to defend the institution and the Constitution, it is time that we look at the priorities and understand what is important. Therefore, the Senate Committee Chairman on Banking, please ensure that you complete that process so that we can give the necessary support in this issue of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) and the Deputy Governors of Central Bank.”
National Assembly to Ensure Funding for Primary Healthcare in 2018, Says Senate President
President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on Tuesday, stated that the Senate would work to ensure that there is adequate funding for primary healthcare across the country in 2018. He said that this would be in-line with the provisions of the National Primary Healthcare Act.
Speaking during the consideration of a Motion raised by Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi on the declaration of a state of emergency in the Public Health Sector, Saraki said that the funding of the sector — in accordance with the existing law — would be the best way to solve the infrastructural decay in Nigeria’s healthcare system.
Following the Senate President’s comments, the Senate moved to insert an additional clause to the Motion urging the entire National Assembly to ensure the adequate funding for healthcare across the nation, in-line with the provisions of the National Primary Healthcare Act in the 2018 budget.
“I hope that as we are doing the 2018 budget, we will take note of this,” said the Senate President.