Two major bills sponsored by Senator Solomon Adeola (APC Lagos West) were among the constitutional amendment bill passed by the 8th Senate through electronic voting.
Senator Adeola has sponsored 12 constitutional amendment bills that passed first reading and was referred to the Senate Constitutional Amendment Committee for further legislative process.
At the end of the Senate Constitutional Amendment Committee deliberation, two of the bills were listed among the 32 constitutional amendment bills that was considered and both of them were passed by majority of the 97 senators that electronically voted for the bills
Senator Adeola’s bills that were passed in this landmark legislative event are: “ A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 in Section 162(1) to provide for the Office of the Accountant General for the Federation (distinct from that of the Federal Government) and for Other Matters Connected Therewith” Bill No.SB .348 and “ A Bill for an Act to Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to Guarantee Freedom of Speech and Legislative Actions of Members of the National Assembly for words or actions in course of Legislative Duty and for Other Matters Connected thereto” Bill No. SB. 342.
Senator Adeola who participated in the voting exercise at plenary expressed the hope that the House of Representatives will also pass the bill and the President will assent adding that there are many sections of or constitution that requires amendment.
“I am happy that the 8th Senate has taken the bull by the horn using this novel approach of presenting constitutional amendments as separate bills to be considered on its merit so that all constitutional amendments do not suffer the fate of throwing away the baby with the bathwater. I am happy at this fundamental progress that we have made with the passage of these constitutional amendment bills” he stated.
Other constitutional amendment bills passed includes that for independent candidacy in elections, attachment of ministerial portfolios for ministerial nominees for Senate screening and removal of INEC from the constitution.
