The House of Representatives will apply its veto rights on the passed Electoral Act if the president, Goodluck Jonathan, fails to approve the document in 30 days, Minority Leader, Mohammed Ndume, warned yesterday.

The Act, which is expected to introduce crucial reforms to next year's election, has not received the president's assent after its passage by both chambers of the National Assembly ending July, 2010.

Three money legislations - the budget amendment, the first and second supplementary budgets - have yet to be signed by the president, although their harmonized versions have been passed by the senate and the House.

Mr. Ndume said the House will reconvene from its vacation, if the president continues to withhold his approval, to authorize the implementation of the four Acts based on a constitutional veto right which overrides the president in 30 days.

"If he doesn't sign within the next 30 days, we will have to think of convening members to veto it and I am sure we will get at least two thirds," he said yesterday in Abuja.

As a member of the minority party, such an unprecedented decision would hardly receive sufficient support amongst the mostly People's Democratic Party lawmakers, but Mr. Ndume said the warning represents the "overwhelming" position of the house. "I am sure if we put it to vote nobody will vote against it," he said.

He said the president's continued withholding of assent to the bills challenges national economy and retards the functions of the Independent National Electoral Commission which would depend on the law to fix election schedule for next year.

"The coming of Jonathan gave me a little hope, but I now begin to wonder why he is dragging his feet. I may be wrong but I‘m yet to be proven wrong the PDP is afraid of elections because they have never conducted one," he said, furthering the allegation that the president's decision represents a part of a complex political consideration for the 2011 presidential elections.

Part of that concern, NEXT understands, is a provision in the electoral law which disallows political appointees from voting during the primary elections-a significant fulcrum which Mr. Jonathan's electoral success next year, if he declares, could be hinged upon.

Distracted president?

Several delegates appointed by the president to the primaries, could be ineligible to participate if the passed bill becomes law, thereby tilting a greater leverage of the election outcome to the state governors who have greater control of the grassroots.

The president has faced growing pressure in recent days to approve the law and the fiscal budgets, part of which bears the new salary structure for civil servants, the approved funds for the INEC and the 40 per cent reduction of the initial N4.6 trillion federal budget.

"This is worse than the Obasanjo scenario. There was a budget during Obasanjo which he did not implement there was a budget during Yar'adua which he was so slow to implement, but this one there is not budget at all," Mr. Ndume said.

Mr. Ndume, who has increasingly become critical of the president's performance in office, said he did however not believe the question of the primary delegates could inform the president's delay.

"At the leadership meeting that I know of, the president doesn't appear to have peculiar interest.

He seems to be committed and that's why am surprised; he seems to be distracted," he said.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/Metro/Politics/5608123-146/lawmakers_threaten_to_override_jonathan_on.csp

The Act, which is expected to introduce crucial reforms to next year's election, has not received the president's assent after its passage by both chambers of the National Assembly ending July, 2010.

Please are we supposed to waste more time on these? Today is 18th August if am right, wht is our PDP president waiting for to sign a bill passed into law more than 2 weeks ago? Are we still ready for a credible election in less than 5months time or another wuru - wuru version from our one party system PDP?

princekevo:

Please are we supposed to waste more time on these? Today is 18th August if am right, wht is our PDP president waiting for to sign a bill passed into law more than 2 weeks ago? Are we still ready for a credible election in less than 5months time or another wuru - wuru version from our one party system PDP?

My man, as some of us have said, Jonathan is a political opportunist to the core . Nigerians should forget Jonathan's assurance of free and fair elections . We all saw his actions during the Ekiti guber elections that should have been a warning of all we are now seeing from Jonathan. He is a highly deceptive leader who is doing everything to be the PDP candidate including failing to assent to an electoral bill that affect all Nigerian Political Parties and stakeholders !!!!

The "endorsement" noise are backing from established Nigerian mercenaries and political jobbers without real clout . This is why the 'face book' President is afraid to democratically test his "huge popularity" and "endorsement by Nigerians everywhere" . I hope the excerpt below make things clear i.e Jonathan simply wants his appointees , even if they do not belong to any Party , to be admitted as voting delegates who will unfairly tilt things in his favour !!!! That is why Ndume states below that "government appointees can only be delegates or voting members if they are card carrying members of the political party,". We can all now see why Jonathan hangs around lawless master election riggers and dictatorial cheats like OBJ and Anenih.

WHy should Jonathan , if at all democratic, wan't to import partisan support (his appointees like Ministers, etc ) rather than leaving the voting to[b] card carrying PDP members[/b] ?



http://www.leadershipnigeria.com/news/cover-stories/19076-electoral-bill-nass-gives-jonathan-ultimatum

Reacting to insinuations that the president was not in support of the Electoral Bill because of section 89 (g), which provides that no government official or unelected person shall vote at the primary election, Ndume stressed that “Section 89 is just saying that parties must conduct transparent, acceptable primaries through either direct or indirect election. And in that case, government appointees can only be delegates or voting members if they are card carrying members of the political party, and if it is through indirect primaries they must go to their various wards and stand for election to be elected as delegate. So I don't think is a big thing because we are in democracy and the president should not have a problem with that.


On the implementation of the budget, Ndume said Jonathan was a non-performer, explaining: “They are operating without a budget; it is worse than Obasanjo's scenario. During Obasanjo there was budget he was not honouring, then during the late Yar'Adua’s time there was budget, he was too slow on it, but this one now there is no budget and we are just barely five months to the end of the year. Economic activities in the country are now grounded because we don't know the direction of government in terms of budget."

Ndume noted: “He has been the president of Nigeria for over 100 days. No achievements recorded. No budget, no Electoral Act. Even the power sector that he took over as minister there, but they have come out to say again that Nigerians should not expect power soon."

@Princekevo.

This is also relevant from Ndume :

"I may be wrong but I need to be proved that way that the PDP government is scared of election, because they have never conducted one. So this time that we are about to have one election they are scared otherwise after taking the bill to the president he would have signed it that day, because he had an idea of what we did. And if there had been some reservations I expect the president to call the leadership of the National Assembly to iron out some of the areas of disagreement especially when it affects Nigerians.

"We met with him before the bill was passed and he did not indicate that he had any interest. That is why I am surprised that he is refusing to sign the bill. He seemed to have committed to it then, but I think now he is being distracted. He has forgotten that it is now his time to make history by conducting free and fair elections. He started well by appointing people who have credibility to head INEC, but then there must be a law that will back that up and we did a good work in the Electoral Act especially in terms of internal democracy in our political parties.

Gbawe now sniffs for any thread that has the keyword "Jonathan" in it.

na_so:

Gbawe now sniffs for any thread that has the keyword "Jonathan" in it.

Maybe so. It would not be different to how , for example, an anti-corruption crusader monitors the actions of those who are corrupt .Now , kindly comment on why Jonathan is holding up the announcement of election dates, when time is already badly against INEC, with how he is failing to assent to a bill that promotes internal democracy within Political Parties as we have all been clamouring for . We all know that free and fair elections is the way forward for our nation starting from transparent conducts within the political Parties.

Jonathan , with his actions/inactions, shows daily that he may not be ready to conduct free and fair elections as long as he is the beneficiary of partisan actions driven by unfair use of executive powers . OBJ , Jonathan's mentor, took dictatorial use of executive powers , for partisan gain, to another level . Naturally , with my understanding of what free and fair elections can do for our nation , I think most forumers will forgive me of my "obssession" with the actions of Jonathan.

Forumers will however wonder at how you and other fans of Jonathan do not comment on how he stands against something good for Nigeria that everyone wants merely because his own personal interest is compromised.

question:

Gbawe:


Maybe so. It would not be different to how , for example, an anti-corruption crusader monitors the actions of those who are corrupt .Now , kindly comment on why Jonathan is holding up the announcement of election dates, when time is already badly against INEC, with how he is failing to assent to a bill that promotes internal democracy within Political Parties as we have all been clamouring for . We all know that free and fair elections is the way forward for our nation starting from transparent conducts within the political Parties.

Answer:

But the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Mohammed Abba-Aji, told the Nigerian Tribune, on Wednesday, that the clean draft of the bill only got to the presidency late on Tuesday.

He said the bill had been taken to the president’s table on Wednesday, but the president had to attend the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.

“I can confirm to you that the new electoral bill is with the president now. It got to the presidency on Tuesday and it is now on the president’s table. But he cannot look at it today (Wednesday) because of the FEC meeting. I can assure you that the president has no problems with the bill,” Senator Abba-Aji said.

He added that though the National Assembly had passed the bill three weeks ago, the lawmakers did not transmit the bill to the president immediately.

Hope we are ?

na_so:

question:


Answer:
Hope we are ?

You fans of Jonathan are so funny  You are quoting the utterances of Senator Abba-Aji as Gospel truth? The same guy whon did/did not deliver Yar Adua's 'vacation' letter ? Abba-Aji cerainly knows a thing or two about the issue of important documents being recieved or otherwise Him and Jonathan make a great pair. Afterall Jonathan "talked" to Yar Adua and remains sure , till today, that Yar Adua "signed" the budget . Yes , Abba-Aji and Jonathan are certainly more credible and believable than our Lawmakers. 

Now let me give you the true version of events. Jonathan has been privvy to this electoral bill from day one. He tells the world he is "interested' in free and fair election so It seems unlikely Ndume is wrong and Jonathan is right . The bill would have been rushed to him as we are running out of time . Assent too should be instant. Jonathan  deliberately dragged his feet while he consulted his notorious gang of election riggers (OBJ, Anenih, et al) as to how to truncate a bill that will ensure a loss for Jonathan if it is only card carrying members of the PDP that can vote !!! Jonathan camp will now be aware of the reality on the ground within the PDP with how he lost the vote for the removal of zoning. Mr.President will now know that he will lose , in a similar manner , to a Northerner at the PDP Primaries if it is card carry PDP members voting. Jonathan is only now speaking because he has been threatened publicy with a veto by lawmakers who are fed up with the dithering of a President who claims to wan't successful elections yet is doing things contradictory to that ideal !!!

otherwise after taking the bill to the president he would have signed it that day, because he had an idea of what we did. And if there had been some reservations I expect the president to call the leadership of the National Assembly to iron out some of the areas of disagreement especially when it affects Nigerians. "We met with him before the bill was passed and he did not indicate that he had any interest. That is why I am surprised that he is refusing to sign the bill.
   

By the way , abeg please supply the entire articles or links to it  You know the rules of Nairaland .

^^^^^^^^^^^^
Gbawe don dey turn to comedian small, small

If Abba-Aji makes a false claim like this against the NA. I expect them(NA) to come out and state the exact date when it was passed to the president. But Gbawe already knows who is telling a lie. later dem go say na dem be broad-minded progressives.

On the issue of only card carrying members voting in primaries, I dont understand how that works against jonathan alone.

One thing you want to ask is , how long did it take the NA to scrutinise and pass the bill? If the president's endorsement is required, at least you expect him to take sometime to look at the ammendments the NA may have made to the bill. We know we are running out of time but a 3-5 day check by the president will not be too much for an important bill like this. HABA

As for the source you asked for :
http://www.tribune.com.ng/index.php/front-page-news/9918-no-preferential-treatment-for-presidential-aspirants-pdp-explains-delay-in-release-of-election-guidelines-electoral-bill-president-just-received-copy-tuesday-abba-aji