Presidency warns against stampede, cheap politics over electoral bill

• Insists ‘right thing will be done within lawful time’

The Presidency, yesterday, urged Nigerians to refrain from stampeding President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the new electoral Act Amendment Bill, insisting the President has 30 days to look at the document.

In a statement signed by Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the Presidency said there was no need for sabre rattling on the issue.

It accused some interest groups of “cashing in on what they consider a delay in signing of the Electoral Bill into law by the President to foment civil disorder and muddy the waters.”

The Presidency said: “One can just pity their ignorance of Constitutional requirements, as the President has a window of 30 days within which to sign the Bill, or decline assent after it had been transmitted to him by the National Assembly.

“It is on record that the amended Bill was sent to the Presidency on January 31, 2022, which means that the Executive could do due diligence on it till March 1, as prescribed by the Constitution.

“A proposed legislation that has to do with the electoral fortunes of the country needs to be thoroughly scrutinised and made as near-perfect as possible.

“Those playing cheap politics with it are, therefore, encouraged to hold their peace, knowing that the right thing will be done within the lawful time.”

After six failed attempts in seven years at passing the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, the National Assembly transmitted a re-worked version of the proposed legislation to Buhari on January 31, 2022.

Specifically, the President had declined assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill six times in the last seven years for a variety of reasons.

The President rejected the amendment bill for the first time in February 2018 due to provisions that reordered the sequence of elections.

A second amendment bill passed by both chambers of the National Assembly and sent to him in June 2018 was not given any consideration.

In July 2018, the President again refused to sign another version of the amendment bill transmitted to him by the National Assembly for the third time, citing concerns about the increased cost of conducting elections, among other issues.

He declined assent to the amendment bill for the fourth time in December 2018, after the National Assembly addressed all of his previous reasons for refusing to sign.

The President stated in his December 6, 2018 letter, addressed to then-Senate President Bukola Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara, that he would not sign the electoral bill while the country was preparing for the 2019 elections because doing so would cause confusion and uncertainty in the polity.

He promised he would sign the bill after the 2019 elections. But declined to do so in December 2021 – the seventh time!