The last may not have been heard over the rejection of the Electoral Bill by President Muhammadu Buihari as the
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep Femi Gbajabiamila, on Thursday, assured that the parliament would decide the fate of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2021 in January next year on resumption from the Christmas and New Year holiday .
Gbajabiamila gave the assurance while delivering his end of the year speech shortly after reading the President’s communication to the House on his decision not to ascent the Bill,
He promised Nigerians that the parliament would not throw away the bill just because President Muhammadu Buhari declined assent because of the direct primary clause.
According to him, “when we return in the new year, we will resume our efforts to reform the electoral system in our country. And we will do it together. That is what the Nigerian people expect of us, and we will do our duty for God and our country.
“Whichever way it pans out, we must not throw out the baby with the bath water and must deliver a credible and enduring electoral system to Nigerians. Every law is a living document and as long as it has breath, it must survive.”
The Speaker made it clear that the parliament has a duty to ensure a smooth process, noting that the lawmakers would collectively decide the fate of the Bill.
President Buhari had in his communication said he was constrained to withhold assent to the Bill, citing security concerns and fear of manipulation and monetisation of the electoral process.
President Buhari in the letter read to the Lawmakers by the Speaker noted that direct primary was not free from manipulation and that it would engender corruption and give rise to massive vote-buying.
He also noted that opposition political parties may mobilise against popular candidates in other political parties to ensure victory in the general election, such parties cannot boast of credible membership register.
According to Buhari, “the indirect consequences of the issue of high cost and monetisation are that it will raise financial crimes and constitute further strain on the economy. It will also stifle smaller parties without the enormous required resources to mobilise all party members for the primaries. This is not healthy for the sustenance of multi-party democracy in Nigeria.
“The amendment as proposed is a violation of the underlying spirit of democracy which is characterised by freedom of choices. Political party membership is a voluntary exercise of the constitutional right to freedom of association. Several millions of Nigerians are not card-carrying members of any political party.
“Thus, the emphasis should be on enabling qualified Nigerians to vote for the candidate of their choice during general elections as a means of participation in governance and furtherance of the concept of universal adult suffrage or universal franchise”.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
FALSE! Yoruba Not An Official Language In Brazil
Claim: A national newspaper and multiple online platforms claim Brazil has adopted Yoruba as its official language and that the language would be included in primary and secondary schools curriculum.
Verdict: The claim is false. The content of the article published by these online platforms is not new; it has been recirculated several times and has been debunked.We are going to revisit electoral bill in January – Gbajabiamila
We are going to revisit electoral bill in January – Gbajabiamila
and then