Electoral Bill: Why National Assembly Can’t Override Buhari — Gbajabiamila

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, says the National Assembly will not override President Muhammadu Buhari’s veto on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.

Gbajabiamila stated that the National Assembly will revisit the bill when it comes back from recess in January and consider removing the direct primary clause before passing the bill again.

Commissioning some infrastructural projects in Surulere, Lagos State on Thursday, Gbajabiamila said the love for Nigerians will not make the lawmakers override the president.

The speaker also rejected calls by some Nigerians asking the National Assembly to override President Buhari’s veto on the bill.

He said, “If you follow the history of the amendment of the direct and indirect primary bill, I initiated that amendment bill for a good reason and it is for people to participate in elections. These are the people you see around when you campaign every four years.

“For me, it does not make sense that these people do not have a voice in who represents them. It is part of being used and I didn’t like that. Most of us are reformers and one of the ways to reform the system is to make it more accountable and to make the people have a voice in who represents them as opposed to a few people sitting in the four corners of a wall and writing results.

“There is a process; when we come back from recess, as I said, the House will look at those amendments. We will sit as the National Assembly, look at the reasons and at that point, consider removing that clause and pass the bill so that we do not throw away the baby with the bathwater.

“But then, it is not my decision to make. It is the decision of the National Assembly; if they determine that the reasons are not good enough, then, there is a process prescribed by the constitution.”