Senate to override Buhari’s veto on constitution alterations, income tax bills

BY: Oliseama Okwuchukwu

The Senate on Wednesday resolved to override President Muhammadu Buhari’s veto on the Constitution, 1999 (Fourth Alteration No. 28) Bill, 2018 and the Industrial Development (Income Tax Relief) Amendment Bill, 2018.

This followed the presentation of a report by the Chairman, Technical Committee on Declined Assent to Bills by President Buhari, Sen. David Umaru, at plenary.

The bills are two out of 17 bills the president declined assent to and returned to the National Assembly on Oct 10, 2018.

The Upper Chamber further resolved to represent 11 of the 17 bills while four of them would be withdrawn.

Umaru said the committee found that when the President withholds assent to a bill, the option available to the national assembly is to override the veto and pass the bill, either in its original form or pass the bill again and incorporate the observations of the president.

The constitution alteration bill No. 28, rejected by the President, seeks to provide for the time within which the President or Governor shall lay the Appropriation Bill before the National Assembly or House of Assembly. (Nigerian Tribune).