Nigeria’s Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has withheld assent to four 2016 Bills passed by the National Assembly.
This was disclosed in letters read during plenary on Wednesday, February 22, 2017 by Senate President Bukola Saraki.
Among the affected bills is the National Lottery Bill 2016, for which Osinbajo cited the existence of pending legal issues on it and National Assembly’s power to legislate on the subject matter.
Others include the Agricultural Guaranteed Credit Scheme Bill, Dangerous Drugs Amendment Bill, and the Currency Conversion and Frozen Order Bill.
Reacting to the rejection of the four bills, the lawmaker representing Kogi West, Senator Dino Melaye, expressed outrage, citing the principle of separation of powers. Melaye said the role of the Executive arm is to assent to laws passed by the National Assembly or go to court to seek redress.
Responding to the development, Senate President Bukola Saraki stated that the issue will be referred to the Legal Department for advice and interpretations of the law.
Yemi Osinbajo, the vice president of Nigeria, has been acting as president since January 19, 2017 when President Muhammadu Buhari began a medical leave following a protracted illness that has led to several trips abroad.
Foreign media praises Osinbajo saying that Nigeria is gradually returning to normalcy under his watch.
