The Senate on Tuesday joined the House of Representatives to represent the Electoral Amendment Act, which was rejected by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The House of Representatives has last week began a fresh process for the passage into law of the Electoral Act (amendment) bill, 2018.
The Leader of the Senate, Senator Suleiman Nazif, announced the first reading of the Electoral Amendment bill of the floor of the Senate.
In the same development, the Senate has begun investigation into the alleged sharing of $50,000 among pro-Buhari senators and $30,000 for their House of Representatives counterpart in order not to support reordered elections sequence planned veto.
The Senate decision was sequel to a point of order raised by Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, who called the attention of the Senate to publications that pro-executive senators and House of Representatives lined up for $50,000 and $30,000 respectively.
Nwaoboshi however moved for the matter to be investigated by the Senate.
Seconding the point of order raised, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa demanded for investigation into the matter, adding that whoever that is involved must be brought to book by the chamber.
After debate on the matter, the President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, referred the matter to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, saying they should report back within a week.
Saraki said: “Since we first started two and half years ago, there have been no report of this.
“The committee should do a thorough job and come back within one week.”
Buhari had withheld assent to both bills recently and the House promised to re-gazette them with 18 others.
Both bills were passed for first reading on Tuesday, meaning that vetoing the President’s assent on them would take a little longer than expected.
The House had said it would re-gazette the rejected amendment to the Electoral Act, the Peace Corps bill and 18 others and re-transmit to the President for assent.
The House had also agreed with two of the reasons advanced by the President for withholding his assent to the Electoral Act amendment and promised to expunge the items before re-transmitting the new election sequence.
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