President Muhammadu Buhari is seen, especially by the opposition as one who has the penchant for declining assent to every electoral bill passed by the National Assembly, according to findings by Okechukwu Jombo in this piece.
The allegation by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that President Muhammadu Buhari, in his desperation to achieve a personal ambition, is holding the nation to ransom by refusing to sign the Electoral Act Amendment bill, passed by the National Assembly to check manipulations in the 2019 general elections has opened up the act to critical evaluation by Nigerians. Nigerians would want to know if truly president Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) are quavering because the draft law effectively checks all their machinations, which they have been deploying in rigging in recent elections, and intend to use in the 2019 general elections.
They want to know also, if the amendment bill, is in the overall interest of the nation, and if it embattles President Buhari because it eliminates openings for major malpractices including the use of underage and alien voters, vote buying, alteration of results and manipulation of voter register, which the APC intends to use to rig the 2019 elections just the PDP has said
To this effect questions such as what are the amendment that are scaring the President as alleged by the PDP that is making the president scared of pending his signature.
On close examination, the new provisions include granting INEC powers to utilize Full Biometrics Accreditation of voters with smart card readers and other technological devices, which PDP said the Buhari Presidency and APC know will effectively check their reliance on dead, underage and alien voters, which they intend to use, particularly the Presidential election.
The amendment bill also provides for Instant Transmission of Results from polling to collation centers which ensures real-time results and reduces human interferences and election malpractices, thus effectively checking the alteration of results by anybody
Another new addition is the provision that makes it mandatory for Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish voters register online as such will end their usual manipulation of voter register ahead of elections.
Theirs also a provision which restricts arbitrary qualifications for candidates and encourages younger aspirants
President Buhari the PDP said knows that, having failed Nigerians in his first tenure, there is no way he can win in a free, fair and credible election, hence the desperation to manipulate the system and undermine the electoral laws.
The PDP therefore called on the National Assembly to override President Buhari since his refusal to sign the amendment bill is out of personal and partisan interests instead of the overall interest of the nation
Even though the Presidency had declared that the 2018 Electoral Bill passed by the National Assembly on the 24th of last month and forwarded to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent on the 3rd of this month , is still alive and awaiting assent of the President .
Clarification on the status of the bill from the presidency came against the backdrop of report published by one of the national dailies yesterday that President Muhammadu Buhari had again vetoed 2018 electoral bill forwarded to it for assent by the National Assembly.
Reacting to the report in a media chat in his office, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate) , Senator Solomon Ita Enang said the vetoed bill was the one sent to the President on 27th June , 2018 and not the one passed by both chambers of the National Assembly on July 24th 2018, the very day , it embarked on long recess.
According to him, the vetoed one was the one with contentious provisions and infractions on provisions of the 1999 constitution.
“The reported vetoed bill was the one passed by the National Assembly and transmitted to the President for assent on the 27th of June 2018 duration of which in line with constitutional provisions expires on the 26th of July, 2018 , warranting the said veto .
” Yes , an electoral bill was vetoed or refused assent by the President but not the last version of the 2018 electoral bill transmitted to the President for assent on the 3rd of this month that has just spent 11 days on his table and still having 19 days more for possible consideration and assent “, he explained.
It would be recalled that aside the vetoed version of the 2018 electoral bill forwarded to the President on the 27th of June 2018 and vetoed on the 26th of July 2018 by the President in line with the 30 days constitutional life lines for such bill, the President had earlier in the year , rejected the first of the 2010 Electoral Act ( Amendment ) Bill 2018 forwarded to it in February this year .
President Buhari had in vetoing the earlier one in February this year, cited three reasons for doing so, one of which was the new sequence of elections included in the bill through section 25(1).
The President in his rejection, said the inserted section in the Electoral Act violates the provisions of section 72 of the 1999 constitution, which empowers INEC to fix dates of elections and see to its conduct in all ramifications.
But both chambers of the National Assembly in the new bill transmitted for presidential assent on the 3rd of this month, deleted all the controversial provisions kicked against by the President and yet he didn’t touch it before embarking on his ten days leave.
Nigerians will also want to know why he didn’t sign and if it is in line with what PDP is alleging. Only time will tell.
Source: Nigerian Pilot
