Electoral Act amendment: Override Buhari now

Prominent individuals and pressure groups, on Saturday, expressed fears that the withholding of assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2018 by President Muhammed Buhari was tantamount to a plot to undermine the electoral process in 2019.

The fears came amidst reports that more than half of the 15 million voters that participated in the 2015 elections were not captured by the Smartcard Readers deployed for the election.

It will be recalled that the president had, on Friday, for the fourth time, declined to give his assent to the Amendment Bill, citing the closeness to the 2019 elections as the reason for his final refusal.

Eminent persons such as renowned Yoruba leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Dr Junaid Muhammed, Professor Banji Akintoye, as well as socio-political organisations expressed deep concern that the action of the president would have grave implication for the majority of Nigerians in the 2019 elections.

The Association of Middle Belt Ethic Nationalities (ASOMBEN), Middle Belt Patriotic Front (MBPF) and the Middle Belt Forum (MBF) had expressed similar concern, warning that President Buhari’s decision could cause anarchy asking the NASS to pass the bill.

 

Override the president if —Junaid Mohammed

A former member of the House of Representatives, Dr Junaid Mohammad, has advised the National Assembly to override President Muhammad Buhari over his refusal to sign the Electoral Amendment Bill into law.

This was even as he said the NASS should start the process of getting the required numbers that will override the president’s veto.

Speaking in a telephone interview on Saturday, Junaid who was a former staunch supporter of the president, however, noted that: “If they cannot get the required number, they should reconcile with the president. I think it would be better for the nation.

According to him, time is not on their side, saying, “whatever they will do now must be fast as any attempt to prolong it is a waste of time, because election is just by the corner.”

 

Buhari’s excuse not genuine, plot to rig 2019 elections —Adebanjo

A leader of the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, Chief Adebanjo, frowned on the refusal of Buhari to sign into law the amendments to the Electoral Act, saying his excuse for taking such decision was not genuine and was a plot to rig the 2019 elections.

Chief Adebanjo gave this reaction in a telephone chat with the Sunday Tribune, querying: “How can he (Buhari) claim that signing the bill into law at this time close to elections would cause chaos, what has he been doing since these days when the bill had been made available to him?”

According to the elder statesman, the amendment is about legal conditions needed for the 2019 elections and a proof of electoral sanctity, saying that it was to ensure that every vote counted.

“The amendment, if signed into law, is a proof of electoral sanctity, that your votes count,” he said, adding that without such put in place, “joggling of figures was possible.”

Adebanjo, therefore, urged the National Assembly “to do the needful” by overriding the president’s veto and passing it into law.

“What I would advise is that the National Assembly should do the needful, override the president and pass the bill into law,” he said.

 

Buhari should stop letting Nigerians feel 2019 poll’ll not be free, fair —Akintoye

In a related development, foremost historian, Professor Banji Akintoye, called on Nigerians to help persuade President Buhari to let the country have free and fair elections in 2019, saying the president should stop letting the citizenry think the coming general election would not be free, fair and credible.

Akintoye gave this task while speaking with Sunday Tribune on telephone, in reaction to the refusal of President Buhari to sign into law the amendments to the Electoral Act.

Akintoye, who made it clear that he was not partisan, noting that there was no clear distinction between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said: “We are not crucifying the APC, but we are talking about the president.

“Buhari should be the person we should persuade to let Nigeria have free and fair elections. Buhari should stop letting Nigerians think that these elections would not be free, fair and credible,” he said.

 

Override Buhari to prevent anarchy, Middle Belt groups tell NASS

Similarly, the Association of Middle Belt Ethic Nationalities (ASOMBEN) and Middle Belt Patriotic Front (MBPF) have made passionate appeal to the National Assembly to save the country from anarchy and invoke the power given to them by the 1999 constitution to override the president’s veto to pass the bill into law.

The National Secretary, ASOMBEN, Reverend James Pam, said the president’s final decision on the bill was a terrible blow to Nigerians yearning for credible elections in 2019, adding that the president’s act was capable of truncating democracy.

“We are surprised that Mr. President refused to sign Electoral Act Amendment Bill, the generality of Nigerians believe that the new electoral bill is a good modification of what we had before; it makes rigging more difficult. It also introduces high-level of automation. So we are disappointed in Mr. President.

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“Our legislators did a good job; why should one man refuse? We are of the opinion that the National Assembly should override the president’s veto and pass the bill into law according to the constitution. If the president refuses to assent, the National Assembly has the power to go ahead and pass it by having the Speaker and the Senate President sign it into law. So, we want the National Assembly to go ahead and invoke that provision of the constitution.”

Also the convener of the Middle Belt Patriotic Front, Ibrahim Bunu, said Nigerians have to look at the refusal of the president not to sign the bill critically, because the bill contained what could strengthen Nigeria’s democracy and ensure that credible elections were conducted at all levels.

“We are appealing to the lower and upper chamber in the National Assembly to come to the aid of Nigerians, because it beckons on them now to put things straight and go out of their party affiliations to address the situation by overriding the president’s veto,” he said.

 

Group calls on Buhari to sign electoral bill

In the same vein, a non-governmental organisation, Aproko.com Initiative, urged the president to assent to the Electoral Bill, provided it will not actually create judicial problems.

This was just as it warned security agencies, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and politicians to play the game according to the rules.

The coordinator of the board of trustees of the organisation, Ebaguolo Okorodudu and KelechiAmaechi, gave the warning while briefing Sunday Tribune on Saturday, in Warri, Delta State, noting that Nigerians must ensure a clean electoral system.

 

Electoral Act: Senate majority leader backs Buhari

The Majority Leader of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, on Saturday, said there was nothing to worry about in President Buhari’s decision to withhold assent on the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2018.

Lawan told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the Electoral Act (2010) was good enough for the conduct of the 2019 general election.

He said the president’s decision should not be misinterpreted, adding that it was done in the interest of the country.

“That the president declined assent to the bill was no big deal. We can still use the Electoral Act, 2010, that was used in 2015 general election.

“This is to allay the fears of the citizens, who might think that the 2019 elections would not be well conducted without the amendment. What we need to do is to look at the few lapses, especially in terms of administration which does not need any legal backing.

“INEC conducted a very good election in 2015 with the existing Act. So, I believe that we can use that and nobody should start thinking that the elections will not be free and fair.

“The 2015 elections were free, fair and transparent. All over the world, we were commended for conducting such a credible election. It is not like the current act is so defective that we cannot use it,” he said.