Electoral Act Bill: Group Urges National Assembly to Override Buhari

Electoral Act Bill: Group Urges National Assembly to Override  Buhari

Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano

A civil society group yesterday challenged the members of the National Assembly to deploy their full constitutional power to veto the President if he refused to sign the Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law.

The Executive Director of Organisation for Community Civil Engagement (OCCEN), Mr. Abdulrazaq Alkali, commended the commitment of the National Assembly for concluding legislative work on the amendment bill, and alleged possible sabotage against the actualisation of the act.

Alkali hailed the adoption of direct primary as a form of candidate selection in the party system, which he believed would enhance transparency in nomination of candidates and eliminate godfatherism.

The director also insisted that the presidency has no justification to continue to foot drag on the bill, which they believed would bring solution to electoral challenges bedeviling the nation.

He lamented that the present indirect system has also crippled the Not Too Young to Run Act.

Alkali worried that in the event of denying assent, the President Muhammad Buhari may have placed more priority to few powerful political blocks who are being threatened by the possibility of losing the power of imposition in the party, when the bill is eventually signed into law.

He said OCCEN is fully backing the Nigerian Labour Congress and other civil society group in their recent letter written to the Presidency, asking the executive not to yield to pressure from state governors and other selfish politicians opposing the signing of the
bill.

“Unfortunately, with only a few days left until the deadline, the president is yet to assent to the bill and has been foot dragging and unjustifiably delaying on the bill. Nigerians should be worried about these developments because it appears that the president is listening and giving priority to some powerful politicians.

“Sadly this issue is taking a similar approach to how the president ignored the bill and left INEC to conduct the poll with the 2010 electoral act. The president needs to put aside the selfish interest of a category of politicians and focus on what is in the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians.

“It is imperative that the president should demonstrate courage and leadership to uphold and protect our democracy. It is understood that the president has written to INEC seeking advice regarding the electoral amendment bill.

“This seems like a tactic adopted by the presidency to reject the bill. But the president should understand that history will not forgive him if he refused to assent on the bill,” he said.

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