- Dr Junaid Mohammed has rebuked senators for attempting to alter the elections sequence; referring to them as criminals, scammers and rogues
- The Second Republic lawmaker said he had gone through the electoral law, and did not see anywhere it was written that senators had such powers
- He said the power to either give or withhold assent to a draft law is vested in the president; and as such, Buhari did nothing wrong by refusing to assent to the bill
Dr Junaid Mohammed, a Second Republic member of the House of Representatives, has chided members of the Senate, for attempting to alter the sequence of elections.
In an interview with Vanguard, the Russian trained medical doctor referred to the lawmakers as a bunch of criminals, scammers and rogues.
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NAIJ.com notes that he said that since the senators were elected, they have done nothing in the nation’s interest. He further pointed out that he had gone through the electoral law, and did not see anywhere it was written that senators had the power to change the sequence of an election.
He stated: “First and foremost, I have never in the life of this 8th Senate supported anything the senators have done because I regard them as nothing but bunch of criminals, scammers and rogues.
“But then, on a very rational basis, I have with the help of my friends, who are lawyers and my own experience in the Parliament, gone through the electoral law. I found no place in the electoral law which provides for senators to change the sequence of an election. I believe that is the initiative and the responsibility of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
“The senators have done nothing in the interest of this nation since they came. They came in with crisis by first trying to upset their party with a criminal behaviour. Some of them are before a court and on bail for criminal offences. These are not the type of people who will now decide what is good or bad for the country because they lacked the morals.
“As far I am concerned, the power they claim was not given to them by the constitution or electoral law. Anyway, I have no business with what the president does but as bad as he is, he is better than any senator in the Senate. The power to either give or withhold assent to a draft law is vested in the president, so he did not breach any law."
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Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported that a House of Representatives member, Peter Akpatason (Edo-APC), expressed optimism that the Supreme Court will upturn the Abuja High Court’s ruling that the National Assembly has no powers to alter the elections sequence.
Akpatason said the court’s ruling was an attempt to obstruct legislative process, and negates the provisions of the law.
He said that the court would have allowed the National Assembly to complete the entire process of election sequence before offering its opinion, based on the position of the law.
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Source: Naija.ng