The House of Representatives Thursday deferred the passage through the second reading of “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Review the Description of Islamic Law in the Constitution and for Related Matters”, sponsored by Aliyu Bappa Misau (PDP, Bauchi).
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In his lead debate on the general principles of the bill, Misau stated that the 1999 Constitution as amended only focused on the personal Islamic Law and did not envisage the dynamism of other components such as the introduction of the Islamic international and commercial laws and hence the need for the amendment. He urged his colleagues to support the bill.
Supporting the bill, Ahmed Satome (APC, Borno) praised the intent of the bill in giving the required legal backing to other Islamic laws.
In his contribution, Solomon Bob advised that the House committee, which will be saddled with the responsibility of handling the bill, should do a thorough job. He said there was a need for scrutiny to ensure that there is no friction between the applications of Islamic Law with Common Law.
Also speaking, Bamidele Salam (PDP, Oyo) called for caution in the application of the amendment, as the Constitution took into consideration the sensitivity of religious issues and that is why the present Islamic Law was upheld till now. He stated that the aim of the bill is already covered by some other existing laws.
But supporting the bill, Ahmed Badau (APC, Kano) stated that the Bill seeks to fulfil the desires of the masses. He urged Members to consider the ethics and ways of life of those who seek it through Islamic reforms.
In his contribution, Mohammed Anka called for an understanding of the subject matter of the Bill as it seeks to properly define Islamic Laws for proper application for the Islamic public.
Jonatan Gaza (SDP, Nasarawa), while contributing noted that Nigeria as a secular state has a liberal Constitution that allows freedom of worship. He however called for caution as letting religious inclinations come into constitutional amendment may give a leeway for all other forms of worship to seek such amendments to their own desires. He stated that freedom of worship is already guaranteed and the Constitution does not need to be amended for such.
Similarly, Ademorin Kuye (APC, Lagos) stated that the Constitution does not admit any particular religion as the primary religion as Nigeria is a secular State. He called for the provision of the Bill to be adopted in states peculiar to Islamic rule and not through the Federal Constitution.
Saidu Abdullahi (APC, Niger), in his contribution, called on members not to lose sight of the true intentions of the bill as it was not meant to promote Islam over any other law or religion but it only seeks to clarify the Islamic Law in its proper context and application.
Also speaking, Leke Abejide (ADC, Kogi) appealed to the sponsor to temporarily step down the bill considering the mood of the House. The bill, he argued, could be debated after broader consultations and research.
Supporting Abejide, Kama Nkemkanma (LP, Ebonyi) stated that the Bill is a sensitive one and members do not have a copy of the bill and then moved that it should be stepped down till a later date so that members can make informed decisions on a later date and this was seconded by Dagomie Abiante (PDP, Rivers), who also reminded his colleagues that he had a very sensitive bill recently, which was stood down by the House. The bill was not approved for second reading.
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