The House of Representatives rejected a bill on Thursday that sought to expand Islamic law under the 1999 constitution, Cyber Reporters report.
Aliyu Missau’s bill sought to change sections 24, 262, 277, and 288 of the 1999 constitution by deleting the word “personal” wherever “Islamic law” is referenced.
Article 262 (1) of the constitution reads as follows: “The Sharia Court of Appeal shall, in addition to such other jurisdiction as may be conferred upon it by an Act of the National Assembly, exercise such appellate and supervisory jurisdiction in civil proceedings involving questions of Islamic personal law”
Aliyu Missau contended that the presence of the word “personal” following “Islamic” limits its application, particularly to Islamic commercial rules.
“The 1999 constitution provided for personal Islamic law. The constitution did not envisage the dynamism and development that may come into the country,” he said.
While some northern legislators backed the bill, some in the south see it as an attempt to expand the scope of Sharia law.
Solomon Bob from Rivers, who opposed the bill, claimed that the change would widen the application of Islamic law beyond the “personal matters” contemplated by the constitution’s authors.
Abdul Hakeem Ado from Kano supported the bill, saying Islamic commercial law needs to be sustained.
