The senate has approved financial autonomy for state legislatures, judiciary and local government areas in the country. This was revealed during voting sessions, on the report of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution (Fifth Alteration) Bills, 2022.
In the bill, each local government council is to create and maintain its own special account to be called local government allocation account into which all the allocations will be paid. The legislations also mandate each state to pay to local government councils in its area of jurisdiction such proportion of its internally generated revenue on such terms and in such manner as may be prescribed by the house of assembly.
For administrative autonomy, the bill seeks to allow local governments to conduct their own elections. The lawmakers also voted in favour of financial autonomy for state houses of assembly and judiciary. However, senators rejected pension for presiding officers of the legislature. Out of a total number of 88 senators registered to vote on the bill, 34 voted in support, and 53 were against the bill.
Also rejected was a bill to override presidential veto in constitution alteration, and a bill to override presidential veto in respect of ordinary money bills. The rejected bills require the mandatory four-fifth (votes of 88 Senators) and a two-thirds majority (votes of 73 Senators) to pass, respectively. The bill on procedure for overriding presidential veto in constitutional alteration seeks to provide for the procedure for passing a constitution alteration bill where the president withholds assent.
On the other hand, the bill for an act to alter the provisions of the constitution to provide the procedure for overriding executive veto in respect of money bills seeks to provide for the mode of exercising federal legislative power on money bills before the national assembly. While 94 lawmakers registered to vote on the bill to override a presidential veto in constitutional alteration, 79 senators voted in support and 15 against it.
The bill fell short of the needed 88 votes (four-fifth requirement) to pass. On the bill to override a presidential veto in respect of money bills, out of a total of 84 registered Senators, 44 voted in support, and 39 against the bill. The bill also fell short of the required two-thirds requirement (73 Senators) to pass. In addition, the senate rejected bills to provide for the removal of presiding officers of the legislature and to change the name of Barikin Ladi local government area in Plateau State to Gwol local government area.
