We’ll kill 6-year single term for president, govs –Senators rowdy session is most likely today as Senators begin debate on the controversial six-year single term proposed for president, his deputy, governors and their deputies as contained in Sections 135 and 180 of the 1999 Constitution. The Upper Chamber will commence discussions on the report of its Committee on Constitution Review (CRC). Northern Senators and some members of the Senate’s CRC are set to upturn a proposal recommending a six-year single term for executive offices, it was gathered yesterday. The two caucuses have risen against the Senator Ike Ekweremadu-led CRC which recommended a six-year single term for executive offices beginning from 2015. The committee has, however, added a caveat; incumbents would not benefit from the new tenure. The House of Representatives CRC, in its report, presented last week, differed with the Senate when it retained the constitutional provision of two terms of four years for executive offices. Daily Sun learnt yesterday that a powerful bloc in the Senate, with 58 members, the Northern Senators’ Forum (NSF), met thrice in the last two months and has decided against the six-year single term recommendation of the CRC. Members are now canvassing retention of two terms of four years as guaranteed in the 1999 Constitution. A source on the Senate CRC told Daily Sun yesterday that one of the reasons canvassed for the rejection of the six-year single term is “the need for stability in the polity. We have tried and tested the two terms of four years and so far, there’s nothing wrong with it. Why change a winning formula?” Besides rejecting the new proposed tenure at the caucus level, a source said, “members have been urged to also stand up in the chamber to speak against it. We all agreed that there should be no pretences this time around. In fact, 80 per cent of the members are against it…” Another caucus opposed to the six-year single term are some members of the CRC who, though voted in support last May, are now against the recommendation. The decision to include the six-year single tenure was taken at the CRC’s final retreat which held in Lagos two months ago. It was gathered that at the retreat which held in a highbrow hotel on the Island, 46 out of the 49 Senators voted overwhelmingly for the new tenure limit. “I remember well that when the question was put to vote, members voted in support; only three members did not vote. They did not say whether they were for or against…Even me, I voted in support on that day, but when we got back to Abuja, after the pros and cons, I am against it. It makes no sense. I want us to go on with the extant tenure limit as it is spelt out in the Constitution,” a ranking member of the CRC said yesterday. Meanwhile, the chamber is still polarized on local government autonomy. A section of the chamber believes that the councils are not federating units and so, should not be allowed to get funds directly from the Federation Account while those in favour of local government autonomy reiterate that the local councils should be allowed financial autonomy which would allow them to access more funds to provide dividends of democracy as they are closer to the grassroots than the two tiers of government, the Presidency and state governments. Last week, Senate President David Mark announced at plenary that the Constitution amendment debate will span the entire week, with members voting electronically. He told Senators that there would be no voice vote on each clause slated for amendment. Each Senator, said Mark, would vote using the electronic device attached to his/her seats. Among others, Senators would decide on the following: • Devolution of powers; • Creation of more states; • Recognition of the six geo-political zones in the Constitution; • Constitutional role for traditional rulers; • Local government; • Taking out the following Acts of the National Assembly from the Constitution: The Land Use Act, NYSC Act, Public Complaints Commission Act and the National Security Agencies Act (Section 315); Fiscal Federalism; Amendment of provisions relating to review of the Constitution; state creation and boundary adjustment to remove ambiguities; Immunity Clause; • Nigerian police; • Judicial reforms; • The executive; • Rotation of executive offices; • Gender and special groups; • Mayoral status for the Federal Capital Territory; and • Residency and indigene provisions. Source: The Sun
Posted on: Tue, 09 Jul 2013 13:37:22 +0000
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