The House of Representatives may not pass the fresh N72 billion 2013 Amendment Bill forwarded to the National Assembly last week by President Goodluck Jonathan.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Zakari Mohammed (PDP- Kwara), who gave the hint while briefing journalists yesterday, said amendment as proposed by the President, was alien to the 1999 Constitution.

He said: "Go and look at the constitution. Amendment has no place there. But an amendment came, which reflected as if nothing has been done.

"But I want to say that the budget has been passed and duly signed. So any other thing should come in the form of supplementary. The window of supplementary budget exists in lieu of amendment."

According to the House spokesman, if the executive has problem with the budget, which is currently in force, it should forward a supplementary budget.

When asked if the House was planning to throw out the fresh amendment, Mohammed said that would only be determined when the amendment was laid on the floor for consideration.

He, however, did not disclose whether the House would consider the budget before proceeding on its long vacation.

The House had last week rejected the 2013 amended budget sent to it in March by Jonathan on the pretext that the proposal had nothing in it to "show that it is a document seeking to amend or repeal and re-enact the 2013 Appropriation Act".

It therefore advised the President to forward a fresh amendment or supplementary bill. In response, the President sent a fresh amendment asking the House to reinstate the N72 billion the National Assembly removed from the N4.9 trillion proposed in the 2013 budget.

The amount was deducted from different ministries and agencies by the lawmakers.

He asked the House to restore deductions from allocations to ministries of Works, Education, Transport and Health as well as Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, SURE-P.