We’ll Override Buhari On Peace Corps Bill – Reps

The House of Representatives says it has commenced the process of overriding President Muhammadu Buhari on the Peace Corps of Nigeria establishment bill, and nine other bills.

Abdulrazak Namdas, spokesman of the house, made the announcement during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday.

President Buhari had cited duplication of duty and funding challenges in declining assent to the Nigerian Peace Corps (Establishment) Bill, 2017 recently passed by the National Assembly.

“We are in the process of overriding the veto of the president on ten bills, excluding the electoral act, but which includes the Peace Corps bill,” Namdas said.

The spokesman listed the 10 bills to include a bill for an act to establish the Chartered Institute of Treasury Management, a bill for an act to establish the Nigerian Council for Social Works, a bill for an act to amend the currency conversion, freezing orders act to give discretionary powers to the judge of high court to order for forfeiture of assets of affected persons, and a bill for an act to establish the police procurement fund.

Others are a bill for an act to amend the environmental health officers council registration act, a bill for an act to establish the Chartered Institute of loan and risk management of Nigeria, a bill for an act to establish the Chartered Institute of Public Management of Nigeria, a bill for an act to establish the Chartered Institute of Exports and Community Brokers of Nigeria and a bill for an act to establish the Federal University, Wukari.

On the amendment of the Electoral Act, Namdas said the House will look into the bill and address the concerns raised by the President and re-introduce it for passage.

Recall that President Buhari had on Tuesday rejected the proposed amendments to Nigeria’s electoral act in a letter addressed to the leadership of the two chambers in the National Assembly.

The president stated among other reasons that the amendments infringed on the rights of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC.

“We will re-gazette the electoral act and expunge the areas which the president mentioned and which we are in agreement with the president and in line with the constitution,” the spokesman said.

“We will then bring it back for debate and re-transmit it to the president for assent.”