Buhari Yet To Sign Amended Electoral Bill After One Week Of Re-submission By NASS

President Muhammadu Buhari has not assented to the revised Electoral Act Amendment Bill transmitted to him by the National Assembly a week ago.

Recall that Buhari had on November 19, 2021, rejected the former electoral bill, leading to a rework of the bill by the National Assembly.

The harmonized version of the electoral bill passed on January 25 by the legislature was considered the final agreed version of the amendment to Clause 84 of the bill.

In the new clause, the direct, indirect, and consensus modes of primary election by political parties were included. This was after the controversy that trailed the different versions initially approved by the two chambers.

Following the amendment, the Clerk of the National Assembly, Olatunde Amos Ojo, forwarded the document to the president’s office in Aso Rock on January 31.

An aide to the President on National Assembly (Senate), Senator Babajide Omoworare, confirmed that the President had received the electoral bill.

Omoworare added that the transmission of the document was in line with section 58 (3) of the constitution.

He had said:  “The clerk to the national assembly Mr. Olatunde Amos Ojo has transmitted the authenticated copies of the Electoral Bill 2022 to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari GCFR on 31st January 2022.

“This was done in accordance with the provisions of section 58 (3) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and the Acts Authentication Act Cap. A2 LFN 2004.

“Mr. President had withheld assent to the Electoral Bill 2021 transmitted to him on 19th November 2021.

“The electoral bill was thereafter reworked by the national assembly and both the senate and the house of representatives passed same on 25th January 2022.”

Naija News gathered that the President is yet to sign the amendment bill due to alleged pressure from some All Progressives Congress (APC) governors who were not comfortable with the new amendment.

According to reports, the governors had allegedly asked the president to also veto the bill as he did in the last one.