Electoral Act Bill: Peter Obi’s Camp Urge National Assembly To Override Buhari’s Decision

A Group, the Peter Obi Support Network, POSN, has urged the National Assembly to come to the rescue of the country’s democracy by immediately override President Muhammadu Buhari’s refusal to sign the amended Electoral Act.

Buhari, on Thursday, December 6, 2018, declined assent to the bill for the fourth time, saying that he is “concerned that passing a new electoral bill this far into the electoral process for the 2019 general election which commenced under the 2015 Electoral Act, could create some uncertainty about the applicable legislation to govern the process.”

However, in a statement signed by its Spokesman, Chief T.E. Ezeoke, the Peter Obi Support Network noted that this legislative action is very important as the President’s decision is in a bid to hold the nation to ransom, cause crisis in the electoral process and ultimately disturb the process of the 2019 general elections, seeing that there is no way he can win in a free and fair contest.

The group said President Buhari’s reasons for not signing are baseless.

“President Buhari’s repeated refusal to sign amendments passed to check rigging in the election, raises issues of his sincerity of purpose and has the capacity to trigger political unrest and violence, which can, in turn, truncate our hard-earned democracy.”

The POSN invited Nigerians to note that this is the fourth time President Buhari is withholding assent on the amendment, without any cogent reason, adding that “It is unfortunate that Mr. President, in his desperation to hold on to power, has resorted to taking steps that is capable of destabilizing our nation.”

“It is also instructive to note that President Buhari is mortally afraid of the amendments because they essentially checked the All Progressives Congress (APC) rigging plans, including the use of underage and alien voters, vote-buying, alteration of results and manipulation of voter register; for which the APC and the Buhari Presidency have been boasting of winning the 2019 elections.

“While urging the National Assembly to save our democracy and forestall an imminent electoral crisis, the POSN also charges all political parties, other critical stakeholders and Nigerians in general, to rise in the interest of our nation and demand the entrenching of rules and processes that will guarantee the conduct of free, fair and credible elections, as nothing short of that would be accepted”.