APC Govs Lobbying Buhari Not To Sign Electoral Bill – PDP Lawmakers

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members in the National Assembly have accused the governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of blocking the signing of the revised Electoral Act Amendment Bill.

Naija News reports that the lawmakers made the accusation on Tuesday during a meeting with members of the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the party at the National Assembly, Abuja.

Speaking, Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the National Assembly had done its best in the reformation of the electoral system by revising the electoral bill.

Abaribe noted that the legislature has also acceded to the request of President Muhammadu Buhari on the earlier rejected document, stressing that the revised law should be signed without any delay.

The Abia governorship hopeful maintained that the President has no excuse not to assent to the revised bill and should ignore the calls by APC governors not to sign the document.

He said, “The minority caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the National Assembly are asking President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the Electoral bill, which we have passed. We made sure that everything he complained about was given to him.

“Now that we have bent backwards, no excuse or reason should be given again. Provisions of the bill are very critical for expected credibility of the 2023 general elections.”

Also speaking, Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Ndudi Elumelu, berated the APC governors for allegedly lobbying the president not to sign the bill.

Elumelu, however, urged Buhari to sign the bill owing to its importance in strengthening the country’s electoral process.

The lawmaker opined that Nigerians are tired of the ruling party and the Buhari administration due to its failure to keep to its promises made to them in 2015.

He said, “We have met them, they said they want direct primaries. We said, ok if it will mean giving Nigerians a very sound reform, electoral reform, we accept.

“They came back again and said, oh, we have rejected. They are the ones rejecting. They said, ok, we want indirect. We said, we agree, but give Nigerians electoral reform. They came back again and said, we want Consensus. We have given them consensus.

“Again, I am hearing that, amongst them, those APC governors and whatever, with their wuru-wuru are still plotting for the president not to sign.

“Nigerians are tired of APC. So, for coming here, we are proud of you people. Your coming has further energised us to know that, we are doing the right thing and we will never let you people down.

“By the grace of God, we will never let you people down and we will ask APC. APC, sign the Electoral Act. Sign it, Nigerians want it signed. Sign and sign and sign. No more delay.”