‘New constitution ready next week’

The lawmaker also insisted that the constitution would not be forwarded to President Goodluck Jonathan for assent because section 9 of the 1999 constitution does not request presidential assent for it to become effective.

The House had on Tuesday, adopted a motion gazetting the amended version of the 1999 constitution which was ratified by the 36 state Houses of Assembly recently.

“By today that we have finally adopted the ratified amendments from the resolution of the 36 state Houses of Assemblies it means that the constitution stands amended and what now remain is for it to be published in the Federal government gazette. This is a constitutional amendment and does not require presidential assent. Anybody who is not satisfied can go to the Federal High court,” said the Deputy Speaker, Usman Bayero Nafada.

However, controversy erupted within the week when the Attorney General and Minister of Justice Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), said that the constitution must be forwarded to the President for assent otherwise the process would amount to a nullity but both the Senate and the House have said that anybody not satisfied with what they have done should go to court.