President Muhammadu Buhari. Twitter.
The Presidency has explained that President Muhammadu Buhari withheld assent on the Petroleum Industry Goverce Billm due to constitutional and legal reasons.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Sen. Ita Eg, made the fact known to State House a News Media correspondent in Abuja on Wednesday.
He maintained that none of the reasons for the president withholding his assent adduced by the media was true.
Eg said the president had since communicated why he declined assent to the bill, although the communication had yet to be read in the two chambers of the National Assembly
“By Presidential communication of July 29, 2018 (one month ago) addressed to the Senate and House of Representatives, Mr President did communicate decline of assent to the Petroleum Industry Goverce Bill, 2018, for constitutional and legal reasons stated therein.
“By convention, it is inappropriate to speak on the content of Executive Communication addressed to the Legislature until same has been read on the floor in plenary.
“But I plead for the understanding of the legislature that due to the misrepresentations in the public domain and apparent deliberate blackmail which if not promptly addressed may set both the executive and the legislature against the public and even the international investment community, this be excused,” he said.
Eg said some of the issues raised are related to provision of the bill permitting the Petroleum Regulatory Commission to retain 10 percent of the revenue generated.
He said such provision unduly would increase the funds accruing to the Commission to the detriment of the revenue available to the federal, states and local governments as well as Federal Capital Territory.
The presidential aide also stated that there were “some legislative drafting concerns, which if assented to in the form presented will create ambiguity and conflict in interpretation.