The National Council of Traditional Rulers in Nigeria has appealed to the Senate to revisit its request for a constitutional advisory role in governance.
It would be recalled that the traditional rulers had in October 2021, during the constitution review process, made presentations to both Chambers of the National Assembly on the need to give traditional rulers an advisory role in governance.
However, in March this year when both chambers voted on the 68 bills seeking amendments to some provisions of the 1999 Constitution, the request of the traditional rulers scaled through in the House of Representatives while it failed in the Senate.
Making move for reconsideration of the request, the monarchs led by the Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar in his capacity as the chairman, of the Coordinating Committee of the National Council of Traditional Rulers in Nigeria, paid a courtesy visit to the President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan.
Alhaji Abubakar told Lawan that they were taken aback by the rejection of their request by the Senate when voting on critical issues raised for Constitution review was done in the upper legislative chamber.
“Our request for an advisory constitutional role in governance listed as item 67 out of the total 68 items considered, was voted for in the House of Representatives but rejected in the Senate.
“Based on information gotten from the various media platforms, out of the 93 Senators present as at the time of voting in the Senate, 63 voted for and 30 against which as widely reported didn’t make up to the required 2/3 (73) votes.
“We are not happy with the situation of making it in one chamber and failing in the other.
“As a way forward, we decided to visit the Senate leadership for reconsideration of the request in the general interest of Nigeria and Nigerians as far as intelligence gathering on security at the local level is concerned,” he said.
President of the Senate said it was the wish of the Senate to get the request considered during voting on items presented for the constitutional amendment in March as shown by 63 senators who voted for it out of the 93 present.
According to him, “We hold you in high regards as our royal fathers and know-how relevant you are in your various domains as far as the issue of checkmating crimes and criminalities are concerned.
“The Senate will revisit the request to get the 10 required votes to the 63 earlier gotten.
“But in doing that, lobbying and consultations will have to be intensified on those who are yet to buy into the idea of an advisory constitutional role for traditional rulers in governance. And I believe that your visit here today, is more or less, kick-starting the process.”
Dominica Nwabufo
