By Baron Ike
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has written to the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, giving reasons he was unable to assent to the Electoral (Amendment) Bill, 2018.
Buhari in a letter he dispatched to the two leaders of the National Assembly also said he declined the assent in national interest.
He however pointed areas of the Bill he felt needed further clarification and amendment and requested they should be dealt with.
Specifically, Buhari withheld his assent to the Bill because the time to the election is too very short and could “create some uncertainty about the applicable legislation to govern the process.”
He said: “Any real or apparent change to the rules this close to the election may provide an opportunity for disruption and confusion in respect of which law governs the electoral process.”
Buhari reiterated he refused to assent the Bill in the best interest of the country and that “the national assembly should state specifically in the new Bill that the Act will be applicable only after the 2019 election. “
The president faulted the use of the term “Ward Collection Officer”, saying it should be revised to reflect a more descriptive definition than the capitalised and undefined term “Registration Area Collection Officer.”
Buhari wanted some aspects of the Bill rewritten.
He said: .Section 5 of the bill, amending Section 18 of the Principal Act should indicate the Subsection to which the substitution of the figure”30″ for the figure “60” is to be effected.
.Section 11 of the bill, amending Section 36 should indicate the subsection in which the proviso is to be introduced.
.Section 24 of the bill which amends Section 85 (1)should be redrafted in full as the intyroduction of the “electing” to the sentence may be interpreted to mean that political parties may give 21 day’s notice of the intention to merge, as opposed to the 90 days provided in the Section 84 (2) of the Electoral Act which provides the provision for merger of political parties.
President Buhari’s letter to the Senate President Bukola Saraki and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara was written on December 6, and a copy was made obtained by Armadanews.com.
Buhai’s letter was captioned “Presidential decision to decline assent to the Electoral (Amendment) Bill, 2018.”