[News] Electoral Bill: It is too early to seek to put us on a war path with the President – Senate Spokesperson

Spokesman of the senate, Ajibola Bashiru has said that they will take a decision they think is in the best interest of the country irrespective of the attitude of the president or executive towards the electoral bill.

In an interview on Channels Television, Bashiru also stated that the national assembly will not go to war with the president over the bill.

He said;

“When the president takes the decision, whatever the generality of the national assembly thinks, we all we know. I think it is too early to seek to put us on a war path with the president.

“We will take decision we think it is in the best interest of the country irrespective of the attitude the president or executive takes to the electoral bill.”

On claim of the 9th assembly being a rubber stamp of the executive, Ajibola maintained that their legislation are always towards the development of the country and the national assembly is a bipartisan legislative assembly.

He said;

“If making law for the progress of the country is considered to be a rubber stamp, then we agree that we are a rubber stamp national assembly.

“If the idea of seeing the national assembly as an opposition parliament is what some people expected, we are happy to disappoint such people. Our job is clearly cut out for us by section 4 of the constitution.

“The national assembly today is a bipartisan legislative assembly, whereby we have members from the ruling party (APC) and the PDP. Our decisions are taken not on the basis of partisan consideration but on the basis of the general consideration of the people.

“For those that see the national assembly as a fighting organisation. I think we are happy to disappoint them, we are a conglomerate of Nigerians elected to represent the Nigerian people for the purpose of lawmaking.”

For the electoral amendment bill, the deadline for presidential assent is December 19. The national assembly also has a provision to override a presidential veto by two-third vote in a case where the president fails to sign the bill into law within the specified 30 days.