A cold war appears to be brewing again, between the Presidency and the National Assembly following President Goodluck Jonathan’s outright refusal to assent the State of the Nation Address Bill, passed by the National Assembly on March 13, 2012, and forwarded to him for assent.
The president, in a letter Tuesday, to the legislature, dated June 10, 2013, through the Senate President, David Mark, explained that his action was based on the grounds that the proposed law was a duplication of the extant law as contained in the 1999 Constitution.
President Goodluck Jonathan
He said the bill which was particularly transmitted to him on May22, 2013 by the Clerk of the National Assembly for assent amounted to what he referred to as “a duplication of Section 67 of the Constitution”.
Both chambers of the National Assembly passed the State of the Nation Address Bill with the Senate passing it on March 13, 2013 having been earlier treated in the same manner by the House of Representatives.
The bill provides for an annual state of the nation address by the President to be delivered to a joint sitting of the National Assembly on the first legislative day of July of every year.
President Jonathan explained that the 1999 Constitution has already given him the mandate to meet with a joint session of the National Assembly to deliver an address on national affairs or policy of government which he noted, were of national importance.
The president frowned at some sections of the bill which empowered the National Assembly to summon the President in the case of his failure to deliver the address on the specified date, saying it was coercive.
“He said “in view of the express provisions of Section 67 above, I am of the considered opinion that the 1999 Constitution has made ample provision for kind of address contemplated by the Bill”, adding, “It would, therefore, amount to a duplication to enact legislation on the same subject matter”.
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