House Rejects Jonathan's Request For Emergency Extension

An executive session of the House of Representatives members have met
and thrown out the emergency extension request from the Nigerian
President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan.

This decision was taken at a closed door meeting, which held after the
Senate President, David Mark, pronounced National Assembly shut until
Tuesday.

Briefing newsmen later, the House Spokesman, Zakari Mohammed advised
President Jonathan to invoice section 81 of the 1999 Constitution and
order massive deployment of troops rather than wait for extension of
emergency.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, had directed
the House to reconveneafter it adjourned sitting of its plenary on
28th of October to 3rd December 2014 to allow members of the House
carry out pre - budget oversight activities in preparation for the
2015 budget and also to meet the political calendar of all the
political parties.

The Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, in a statement said he "received a
communication from the President, Commander-in- Chief of the Armed
Forces, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR, requesting for the extension
of the existing State of Emergency in Adamawa , Borno and Yobe States
by the House of Representatives.

"Pursuant to the powers conferred on me by Section 305 ( 2 ) of the
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, which requires
me to "forthwith convene or arrange a meeting of the House" and in
order to treat the extension before the expiration of the current
State of Emergency in accordance with Section 305 (6) (c) of the
Constitution, I hereby reconvene the House of Representatives,
currently on Recess."

The Speaker said that the Thursday resumption has a single agenda
which is "Consideration of Mr.President's request for extension of the
existing State of Emergency.
--ChannelsTV