Bill To Increase Power Of Sharia Scales Second Reading Without Debate

                                  

The House of Representatives yesterday passed the second reading of a bill to increase the powers and jurisdiction of Sharia Law in Nigeria. The bill which is being sponsored Abdullahi Salame, the lawmaker representing Gwadabawa/Illela federal constituency of Sokoto state scaled through without a debate. ‎ Speaking on the bill, Jonathan Gaza Gbefwi, deputy chairman of the house committee on media and publicity, said...

“The bill came up on the floor and was automatically referred to the adhoc committee on constitution review. There was no debate on it either for or against because the house is a democratic representatives chamber of the Nigerian people. Even if five people only have an issue with any section of the constitution, the house will give it a listening ear. The ad hoc committee on constitution review has one member per state and women and other representation. The precedence is that it is in this committee that these kind of matters are thrashed out. Any bill that has potentials to divide the country on religious or tribal lines or to reopen settled constitutional issues will most likely fail in the committee” he said

The bill is seeking to amend Section 262 and 277 of the 1999 Constitution of the country.