Buhari may sign Electoral Act Amendment bill tomorrow

THERE were indications on Wednesday that President Muhammadu Buhari may assent to the reworked Electoral Act Amendment Bill, 2021. 

This is coming against mounting pressure from across board for him to append his signature to the document, which he had previously turned down with reasons. 

The National Assembly has now tinkered with the bill to delete the parts President Buhari deemed injurious to democratic rights, especially the provision of direct primary as the sole mode for picking elective position candidates. 

After the president withheld his assent to the bill initially transmitted to him, the National Assembly again brought it back January 31, with political stakeholders waiting with bated breath since then to see whether he will sign it. 

It was learnt that Buhari is now poised to assent to the bill tomorrow at noon, barring a last minute change of plan. 

The president, also on Wednesday, sworn in the six newly-appointed national commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). 

He performed the ceremony shortly before the commencement of the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. 

Four of them are newly appointed, while the other two are on re-appointment. 

Those that took the offices are Mallam Mohammed Haruna from Niger State; Mrs May Agbamuche-Mbu from Delta State; Ukaegbu Kenneth Nnamdi from Abia State; Major-General A. B Alkali (retd) from Adamawa State; Professor Rhoda Gumus from Bayelsa State and Mr Sam Olemekun from Ondo State.