Facts have emerged as to why People’s Democratic Party (PDP) senators could not override President Muhammadu Buhari‘s veto to the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill before embarking on December break.
Investigations by BusinessDay reveal that prior to adjournment of plenary to next year, the PDP Senate Caucus could not garner the required two-third majority to override the President’s veto.
Section 58 (5) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) provides that two-thirds majority is needed from both legislative chambers to override the President’s veto, translating to 73 senators and 240 members of the House of Representatives.
With 46 PDP senators, PDP will need 27 more lawmakers from other political parties to join them to override the President’s veto.
At the moment, the 109-member Senate consists of six different political parties with the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the majority with 58 lawmakers. Others are 46 PDP senators; two African Democratic Congress (ADC) senators, one member each from All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP).
A highly placed source in the office of the Senate president admitted that attempts by the PDP Senate Caucus to lobby lawmakers from other political parties to their side yielded no result.
“Initially, the PDP senators wanted to take advantage of aggrieved APC senators but that did not see the light of the day, as it appeared they had been settled by the powers that be not to jump ship,” the source who spoke on condition of anonymity, reveals.
On his part, a PDP senator admitted that overriding the President’s veto would be a tall order and that his colleagues have realised this and ‘moved on’.
“Who is talking about overriding the President’s veto when we have already adjourned? Just the way they (APC senators) could not get the required two-thirds to remove Senate President Bukola Saraki, we can’t override Mr President’s veto,” the senator who did not want his name mentioned, says.
Some APC senators including Senate leader, Ahmad Lawan, Ovie Omo-Agege, Bukar Abba Ibrahim, Solomon Adeola have already vowed to block any attempt by PDP lawmakers to override the President’s veto.
It would be recalled that President Buhari had on December 7 declined assent to the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill for the fourth time.
In separate letters addressed to Senate president, Bukola Saraki, and speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, the President explained that signing the amendment bill close to the 2019 elections could “create some uncertainty about the legislation to govern the process.”
He, therefore, asked the National Assembly to specifically state in the proposal that the amended Electoral Act would come into effect after the 2019 General Elections.
“Any real or apparent change to the rules this close to the elections may provide an opportunity for disruption and confusion in respect of which law governs the electoral process,” he said.
