President Buhari
The senior special assistant to the president on electoral matters
(senate), Ita Enang, has disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari has
declined assent to the electoral act amendment bill, 2018.
The national assembly had passed the bill on July 24, 2018, and
transmitted to the president on August 3. Buhari withheld assent to the
bill in March, saying the proposed law would usurp the constitutional
powers of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to decide on
election matters, including fixing dates and the order they would go.
Enang said the president’s decision to reject the bill again had
been communicated to the leadership of the national assembly through a
letter.
Speaking in a statement, Enang said; “His Excellency, President
Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, has by communication dated August 30, 2018, to
the Senate and the House of Representatives declined Assent to the
Electoral (Amendment) Bill, 2018.
“I pray for leave, that in view of public interest, the fact of
the National Assembly vacation, the imperative to avoid speculation and
misinformation, that I give just a few of the rationale by Mr.
President.
“Mr. President is declining assent to the Electoral Amendment
Bill due to some drafting issues that remain unaddressed following the
prior revisions to the Bill.’’
“Mr. President invites the Senate and House of Representatives
to address these issues as quickly as possible so that he may grant
President Assent to the Electoral Amendment Bill.
A few of the outstanding issues are: “There is a cross
referencing error in the proposed amendment to Section 18 of the Bill.
The appropriate amendment is to substitute the existing sub-section (2)
with the proposed subsection (1A), while the proposed sub-section (1B)
is the new sub-section (2A)’
“The proposed amendment to include a new Section 87 (14) which
stipulates a specific period within which political party primaries are
required to be held has the unintended consequence of leaving INEC with
only 9 days to collate and compile lists of candidates and political
parties as well manage the primaries of 91 political parties for the
various elections.
“This is because the Electoral Amendment Bill does not amend
sections 31, 34 and 85 which stipulates times for the submission of
lists of candidates, publication of lists of candidates and notice of
convention, congresses for nominating candidates for elections.”