President Muhammadu Buhari has declined assent to the Electoral Act Amendment bill 2021, explaining that the prevailing situation in the country would not allow him to sign the bill.
In a letter of rejection wrtten to the President of the Senate obtained by jounalists, Senator Ahmad Lawan, the pesident cited high cost of conducting direct primaries, violation of citizens’ rights, the security challenge of monitoring the election, marginalization of small political parties among other reasons for rejecting the bill.
Buhari said he had received informed advice from relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Government, and had also carefully reviewed the Bill in light of the current realities prevalent in the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the circumstances.
The president said that it would be better to allow each political party to determine its mode of selecting candidates for election.
According to a source, the President refused assent to it against the backdrop that the parties have their various constitutions that indicate that primaries should be conducted either directly or Indirectly and until such provisions are amended, asking parties to do that through direct means would mean forcing the parties to conduct primaries through direct means which according to President Buhari, amounts to abuse of the constitution of the party.
The Source said, ” With all these reasons given by the President, he has returned the bill to the National Assembly, asking the lawmakers to look at the clause that has to do with direct primaries by political parties, work on it and return the document for assent.
