Constitution amendment: Supreme Court stops N/Assembly from overriding Jonathan’s veto

 

The Supreme Court Thursday morning stopped the National Assembly from taking any steps to override President Goodluck Jonathan’s veto of the amendment recently carried out on the Constitution by the Legislature.
The court could not hear the motion for interlocutory injunction filed by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), which was scheduled for hearing Thursday.

Rather, it granted the lawyer to the plaintiff (AGF), Bayo Ojo (SAN) time to address the court on some anomalies identified in the substantive suit, and proceeded to order parties to maintain status quo ante bellum in respect of the subject of the suit, pending the motion for interlocutory injunction.
The court’s seven-man panel, led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed ordered parties not to take any step to alter the current state of the subject of the case, and adjourned to June 18.
The AGF, acting for President Jonathan, is in the substantive suit contending that the purported Fourth Alteration Act 2015 was not passed with the mandatory requirement of four-fifth majority of members of the National Assembly and the mandatory due processes provided for under the relevant sections of the Constitution.
It is part of the President’s prayers, in the suit, that the Supreme Court nullifies and sets aside sections 3, 4, 12, 14, 21, 23, 36, 39, 40, 43 and 44 of the Fourth Alteration Act, 2015 purportedly passed by the National Assembly.