Civil Society Partners on Electoral Reform on Sunday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to demonstrate sufficient political will towards the signing of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill into law on or before 22nd February 2022 in order to ensure that Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) commence the preparation for the 2023 general elections.
The CSOs who expressed apprehension over President Buhari’s earlier promise to sign the Electoral Act Amendment bill after the passage of various amendments sent to the National Assembly underscored the need for him to honour his promise to Nigerians.
According to the CSOs, the President was emphatic in an interview on national television last month that he would sign the bill if the National Assembly reworks the legislation and expands the procedure for nomination of candidates.
They noted that on the 31st January 2022, the National Assembly transmitted the Electoral Bill 2022 to the President for assent after expeditiously reworking the bill to meet the President’s expectations.
To this end, the CSO partners argued that it has become expeditious for the President to assent to the Electoral Bill 2022, on or before February 22, 2022, if the dates fixed for the 2023 general elections by INEC must be met.
The Partners in a statement issued by the Executive Director, Adopt A Goal for Development Initiative, Ariyo-Dare Atoye, and endorsed by Centre for Liberty, Raising New Voices and Youth and Students Advocates for Development Initiative (YSAD), said they are praying for the president to break the deadlock on the electoral bill and reckon with history.
“We hope that President Buhari and his aides have seen the trending video of the commitment he made to sign the electoral bill based on conditions that have been met by the National Assembly.
“We hope that the President will rise above sentiment, petty politics and the misadvice of his Attorney-General, to honour his words and protect his name.
“We make bold to say that the two clauses on Consensus and Resignation of Political Appointee are in tandem with best practices and Nigeria’s evolving political economy.
“President Buhari has the prerogative to propose further amendments to the Electoral Bill 2022 after assent has been granted as he did in the case of the Petroleum Industry Bill and 2022 Appropriation bill.
“Mr President must allow his bitter experience for approaching the courts on three consecutive occasions over faulty elections to propel him to sign the electoral bill and leave the country’s electoral process better than he met it.
“While the President has been condemning the activities coup plotters in other countries, we sincerely hope that here in Nigeria he will sign the electoral act and help to avert those things that made democracy to become distasteful in those countries.
“Democratic watchers home and abroad may not be wrong to interpret the failure of the President to sign Electoral Bill as a plot to supplant the democracy in Nigeria.
“There is no longer any excuse tenable enough to prevent the signing of this bill.
“The President must not allow the enormous resources invested by the lawmakers and the people in producing this bill to be wasted,” the statement added.
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