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NASS Votes On Constitution Review Report, Oct 14

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The Senate and the House of Representatives are to vote on the final report on proposed amendments to the 1999 Constitution after the Eid-el Kabirý celebrations.
The National Assembly proceeded on a combined two-week break for the country’s 54th independence anniversary and Eid-el Kabir yesterday.
The House of Representatives in particular, will reconvene on October 14.
The Deputy Speaker of the House, Emeka Ihedioha, who doubles as the Chairman, AdHoc Committee on Constitution Review, announced yesterday that the two chambers had harmonised their differences on the proposed amendments.
He said, “The harmonised conference report is ready and we shall begin voting after the Sallah break.
“We will take a date after resumption to vote to pass the report.
“Please, all members should be aware of this and come prepared for theý voting when we resume.”
The House had earlier passed 77 new clauses to the constitution, while the Senate passed its own recommendations as well.
Among the highlights of the recommendations passed by the House were the removal of immunity (against criminal prosecution) for the President and Governors, the rejection of state police and the approval of independent candidature during elections.
It also approved to split the offices of the Minister of Justice and the Attorney-General of the Federation, while the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation was placed on First Line Charge of the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation.
However, theý Senate and the House had disagreed on granting financial autonomy to local government councils.
While the ýHouse endorsed autonomy for the councils by scrapping the controversial local government/state joint account, the Senate rejected autonomy for the councils.
Under Section 9 of the constitution, two-thirds of all members of each arm of the National Assembly will madatorily ý vote to endorse a proposal before it can pass an amendment to the constitution.
This implies that 240 out of the 360 members of the House of Representatives must endorse every proposal before it can be included in the new constitution.
Similarly, 73 out of 109 senators must vote to endorse all new proposals to the constitution.
In addition, two-thirds (24) out of the 36 state Houses of Assembly must also approve the amendments passed by the National Assembly as the final phase of the amendment process.
Meanwhile, the House yesterday approved the power of the Independent National Electoral Commission to request security personnel, including the armed forces, for election purposes.
The proposal was contained in the fresh amendments to the Electoral Act, 2010.
Members began the consideration of the report a bill to amend the Act on Tuesday, passing the controversial power it conferred on INEC as the sole authority to request the deployment of security personnel whenever it deemed necessary.
The amendment passed after a heated argument between Peoples Democratic Party members and their All Progressives Congress colleagues.
The PDP members, led by the Deputy Majority Leader, Mr. Leo Ogor, made efforts to dilute the recommendation, but the opposition party members ensured that the recommendation stayed the way the Committee on Electoral Matters proposed it.
It turned out that there were more APC members in the chambers while Ihedioha presided over the report, giving the opposition party members the upper hand when voting took place.
However, further consideration of the report was later deferred to allow the Committee on Electoral Matters, which is chaired by Mr. Jerry Manwe, some time to clean up observable errors in the report.
The House later adjourned sitting till October 14.

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Why Wike Is Playing God In Rivers -Asari Dokubo

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A former Niger Delta militant, Asari Dokubo, has claimed that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, is “playing god” in the current political crisis that has pitched him against the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara.
Dokubo also chided President Bola Tinubu for, according to him, handing over “Rivers and Bayelsa” to the ex-governor.
“He is now playing god. It is dead on arrival, all those things that he is doing,” Dokubo said in a video that surfaced on X.com on Monday.
He added, “I advise my friend, President Bola Tinubu; what you are doing to all Ijaw, Ikwerre people in Rivers State (sic). You took Rivers state and gave it one man”
In April, Fubara revealed that the administration has raised the monthly Internally Generated Revenue of the state from N12 billion which he met upon assumption of office to N27 billion.
Dokubo described the development as commendable while alleging that the governor only had access to N6 billion when he assumed office.
“The governor had come out to say that the IGR for Rivers State is now N27bn up from N12bn. The governor is even being economical with the truth. When the governor came in, they were giving him a paltry sum of N6bn,” he said.
Meanwhile, in another twist to the ongoing crisis, Fubara on Monday said that he would set up a panel of inquiry to look into the affairs of governance in the state.
He disclosed this during the swearing-in and administration of the oath of office on Dagogo Iboroma, SAN, as the Attorney General of the state and Commissioner for Justice.
The governor criticized recent comments by the former Attorney-General of the State and Justice Commissioner, Prof. Zacchaeus Adangor, SAN, who resigned from his cabinet over a fortnight ago and urged the new Attorney-General to defend the state.
He stated, “It is not the one that while you were here… the only thing you do is to sabotage the government.
“Instead of you to close your mouth, you publicly claim that you’re a learned person to tell people that you’re the Chief Law Officer. Chief Law Officer, you were here and went to stand before a Magistrate Court.
“At that time you didn’t remember that you’re a Chief Law Officer going against the ethics of your job.”

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Investors, Tourists To Get Visa Within 48 Hours, FG Assures

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The Federal Executive Council chaired by President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of a tripartite committee to streamline visa processes and acquisition for investors interested in investing in Nigeria.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, revealed this, yesterday, after the FEC meeting held at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
“Our visa processes are becoming cumbersome. The ease of doing business is also tied to our visa processes.
“Going forward, those investors, tourists would find it easy to acquire a visa within the next 48 hours,” Idris said.
The meeting which began on Monday was adjourned till Tuesday to allow for other “far-reaching” decisions, the information minister had told journalists.

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Panel To Probe Governance In Rivers Underway -Fubara …Swears In Iboroma As New Attorney-General

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Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has declared his readiness to set up a panel of inquiry to look into the affairs of governance in the state.
Fubara disclosed this during the swearing-in and administration of the oath of office on Dagogo Iboroma, SAN, as the new Attorney General of the state and Commissioner for Justice.
The governor criticised recent comments by the former Attorney-General of the State and Justice Commissioner, Prof. Zacchaeus Adangor, SAN, who resigned from his cabinet over a fortnight ago and urged the new Attorney-General to defend the state.
Fubara stated, “It is not the one that while you were here… the only thing you do is to sabotage the government.
“Instead of you to close your mouth, you publicly claim that you’re a learned person to tell people that you’re the Chief Law Officer. Chief Law Officer, you were here and went to stand before a Magistrate Court.
“At that time you didn’t remember that you’re a Chief Law Officer going against the ethics of your job.”
Addressing the new AG, the governor said, “You have a big task. As it is today in the local parlance, they say the jungle has matured. We will be setting a panel of inquiry to investigate the affair of governance.”
The governor further said there was a deliberate attempt to sabotage his administration, saying, “If we disagree, no matter how bad it is, it should be resolved.
“But it has become very clear that this disagreement there is no headway to it, and for many reasons, there is very visible evidence that there is sabotage, a deliberate attempt to sabotage this administration.
“Maybe where they are they are telling them nothing will happen, it is happening here live, we have our own legislators that are performing their duties according to the Constitution. So that record is threatened.”

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