Electoral bill: Civil societies stage protest in Abuja

Some civil society organisations under the platform Situation Room on Tuesday, at the Unity Fountain in Abuja, staged a protest against the delay by President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.

Recall that Nigerian Tribune reported how the National Assembly had on January 31 transmitted a clean copy of the reworked Electoral Bill to Mr Buhari for assent.

In a statement they jointly signed during the protest, the 25 CSOs asked the president to sign the bill within the 30 days timeline and thereafter propose any amendments if he so desired as he did to the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).

“Further amendments to the Electoral Bill 2022 can be proposed after assent has been granted. It is within the President’s prerogative to propose amendments after signing the bill as he did in the case of the Petroleum Industry Bill and 2022 Appropriation bill, an act which attracted commendation”.

“We call on President Buhari to sign the Electoral Bill into law on or before the expiration of the 30 days timeline on the 1st March 2022 to enable INEC to issue Notice of Election and release the timetable and schedule of activities for the 2023 general election,” the statement said.

Clause 28 (1) of the bill requires INEC to issue a notice of election not later than 360 days before the day appointed for an election.

They also asked the National Assembly to put pressure on the President to sign the bill into law.

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Speaking on the protest, the Deputy Director at the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), Mboho Eno, said signing the bill will be to the credit of the president and that it would give the nation a new breath of fresh air in the electoral process.

“It is an opportunity for the president to speak loudly that he is a President for the citizens and he listens. He should not see the call by the CSOs as “playing cheap politics” as opined by his special adviser – Femi Adesina – yesterday,” he said.

“CSOs are partners in nation-building and they are playing their roles like that. CSOs pressure or not, Nigeria deserves a new, improved and citizen-friendly which the new bill represents” he said.

Meanwhile, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina in an interview on Channels Television said it is just a matter of hours for President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the Bill.

Adesina during the interview on Tuesday assured that President Buhari will sign the bill any moment from now, “It could be today, it could be tomorrow, it could be anytime, but within the 30 days.

“It could be signed today; it could be signed tomorrow. In a matter of hours, not days. Hours could be 24 hours, it could be 48 hours; not days, not weeks.”