Sign amended electoral bill if you don’t have ulterior motive, PDP govs tell Buhari

The PDP Governors Forum has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately assent to the revised electoral act amendment bill.

In a communiqué issued on Monday after a meeting in Bayelsa, the governors said that waiting to exceed the 30 days stipulated by law before signing the bill was another indication that President Buhari was not ready to reform the country’s electoral framework.

The communiqué read in part: .“The PDP governors urge Mr President to immediately sign the electoral act amendment bill into law. Waiting to run out the 30 days is yet another sign of unwillingness by Mr President to give Nigeria a reformed electoral framework,”. 

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The governors also suggested that adjustments be made later if any misgivings are noticed in any aspect of the amended bill.

The President refused to sign the electoral amendment bill, citing the direct primaries clause in the bill as one of the reasons for its rejection. 

In a letter to Senate President Ahmed Lawan, Buhari cited the “high cost of conducting direct primaries, the security challenge of monitoring the election, violation of citizens’ rights and marginalization of small political parties.”

In January, the Senate and House of Representatives adjusted clause 84 of the electoral act amendment bill to address the concerns of Mr Buhari.

Clause 84 (2) of the latest amendment of the electoral act reads that “The procedure for the nomination of candidates by political parties for the various elective positions shall be by direct, indirect primaries or Consensus.”