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Inauguration of
Nigeria’s future presidents and their deputies may henceforth be held
in the premises of the National Assembly, if a bill before the House of
Representatives is passed into law.

The “A Bill for An
Act to Provide for the Presidential Transition and for Matters
Connected Therewith,” and sponsored by Abubakar Maifata (ANPP, Kano),
which also provides for certain rights and privileges that a
president-elect and his deputy should enjoy before their swearing-in,
scaled second reading on Thursday and has been committed to the
Committee on Special Duties of the House.

Mr Maifata, while
leading debate on the bill slated for second reading, said the bill
will ensure smooth transition of power in the country and urged his
colleagues to pass it, especially now that the National Assembly is
amending the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act 2006.

The lawmaker said
the constitution does not provide for entitlement or privileges to be
accorded a president-elect and vice president-elect, saying that the
bill, if passed into law, will address those issues.

According to Mr
Maifata, the bill provides for the setting up of an inauguration
committee, whose members will be drawn from various arms of government,
including the National Assembly. He said both the Senate and the House
will contribute 10 members each to the committee, adding that this will
ensure the effective participation of the federal legislature in the
transition program.

The bill, he added,
seeks to appoint “a Secretary who shall be a permanent secretary in the
Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and be
subject to the general control of the Committee.” The bill also seeks
to include in the committee a representative each of the Nigerian
Police, not below the rank of a DIG of Police; Nigerian Army, not below
the rank of a Major-General; National Security Adviser; Nigerian
Immigration, not below the rank of Deputy Comptroller, Director-General
SSS, a representative of the Ministry of foreign affairs not below the
rank of permanent secretary; and a representative from the office of
the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, not below the rank
of a permanent secretary.” The Bill seeks, in addition, to establish a
special fund for inauguration purposes, the reimbursement of the
President and Vice-President-elect, “all reasonable expenses incurred
by them in relation to the affairs of the state and prior to the
presidential inauguration.”

Reasons for bill

Mr Maifata
explained that he put forward the bill because presidents-elect and
their deputies are usually at the mercy of the incumbent or out-going
president before they take oath of office.

Speaking in support
of the bill, Halims Agoda (PDP, Delta) said it should be “regarded as
part of the evolutionary growth of democratic experiment in the
country.” Mr Agoda said it is important to swear in new presidents at
the premises of the National Assembly because, according to him, the
legislature is the symbol of democracy and its members the custodian of
the people’s power.

Joseph Ajatta (AC,
Lagos), Dino Melaye (PDP Kogi) and Ike Chinwo (PDP, Rivers) also
supported the bill. Mr Chinwo argued that the bill will strengthen the
nation’s democracy.

But former Speaker,
Patricia Etteh, spoke against the bill, warning that the House might
find itself legislating on issues outside its jurisdiction.

According to her,
the bill is meaningless since the country is not practicing
parliamentary system of government but a presidential system of
government.

Also speaking
against the bill, Emmanuel Jime (PDP, Benue) who noted that the
inauguration of a new president is basically an executive function,
wondered what the life-span of the inauguration committee will be,
while Aliyu Wadada (PDP, Nasarawa) also opposed the bill, saying the
proposed law is capable of causing conflict between an outgoing
president and the in-coming one.