Chidi Samuel|
The Presidency and the ruling APC are reaching out to the party’s caucuses in the National Assembly to block any attempt by opposition lawmakers to override the President’s refusal to sign the electoral act amendement bill.
Eventhough, the presidency and the ruling party believes the lawmakers lack the votes to override the President, they, however, do not want to leave anything to chance, according to a source familiar with the power game playing out behind the scene.
The source said, “it cannot be completely ruled out that some members may be mobilising to initiate the override process.”
The first stage of what may lay ahead, played out on the floor of the Senate on Thursday as the two leading political party’s sparred over which party has the majority members in the upper chamber of the National Assembly.
The argument to determine the party with the majority members, according to the source, was more like a cat and mouse game which arose following a suspicion that there is a plot to override President Muhammadu Buhari’s veto of Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2018.
Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, (PDP), ENUGU and Senate Leader Ahmad Lawan, (APC) Gombe, disagreed over the numerical strength of the two dominant political parties on the floor of the Senate.
Lawan was adamant that the APC has majority members in the Red Chamber, with 56 senators as against PDP’s 46.
But Ekweremadu, countered Lawan’s claim, insisting there was no established statistics to support Lawan’s claim.
The disagreement followed Lawan’s Point of Order to protest media reports, which the Yobe North Senator described as misleading.
Lawan, who stressed the need to set the record straight, faulted the reports about the subsisting numerical strength of the two dominant political parties in the chamber.
Lawan said: “The media reported that APC has 57 senators while PDP has 58. For the record, APC senators are 56 while PDP senators are 46.
“Again, the media reported that majority of senators voted against the confirmation of Keyamo yesterday (Wednesday), but that you (Ekweremadu) ruled that the ‘ayes’ had it.
“I want to put it on record that when you put the first question, it was not clear whether the ‘ayes’ or ‘nays’ had it.
“But by the time you put the second question, it was clear that the ‘ayes’ had it.”
Ekweremadu, who appeared uncomfortable with Lawan’s submission, said: “The issue of how we vote is determined by voice vote, and it is based on the decision of the presiding officer.
“If anybody has issues with the ruling, we can call for division. But since nobody called for any division, it meant that senators were in tandem with the ruling. So, it won’t be proper for newspapers to report what is not correct.
“As regards the party configuration, I want to say there is no particular statistics for now. We cannot talk about the figures that each political party has because there is no such statistics. So, let it be on record that we have no such record now.”
According to the source, what took place on the floor of the Senate between Ekweremadu and Lawan was effectively, “a game of wits to prepare the minds of senators for what may come in the days ahead, especially with the President’s refusal to sign the Electoral Act amendment.”
The APC members in the lower house of the national assembly, through their leader, Hon Femi Gbalajabiala on Wednesday said they will oppose any attempt to override the president on the bill.
Both chambers of the national assembly will have to muster two-thirds of members votes to be able to override the President’s refusal to sign the bill.
With additional report from Nationng