The Governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike, has stated that the refusal of President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the Electoral Bill is part of the All Progressives Congress (APC) scheme to deny Nigerians free, fair, and transparent election in 2023, saying that the only way for Nigerians not to repeat the 2015 and 2019 mistakes of voting the APC led Federal Government into power is to send them packing in 2023.
The Governor spoke at the flag-off of Chokocho-Igbodo Road that was performed by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State on Monday in Etche Local Government Area, Monday, according to a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kelvin Ebiri.
Wike recalled that he had raised the concerns that President Buhari would not sign the Electoral Act amendment bill into law to give legal impetus to electronic transmission of election results.
He stated that having known the modus operandi, style and strategy of the APC, it was obvious to him and all discerning minds that the clause on direct primaries was inserted into the Electoral Act amendment bill as a ploy for the president to refuse assent to the bill.
According to him, the APC members are afraid that if results are transmitted electronically, they will not survive the 2023 general elections.
Wike said: “Three weeks ago I told Nigerians that there is a conspiracy not to have a free, fair, transparent election in 2023 and that conspiracy was very clear. And I told Nigerians, Mr President will not sign the Electoral Act amendment bill.
“What APC resolved in the meeting they had was that their problem is not necessarily direct primaries, but the electronic transmission of result in 2023. If they allow that, obviously APC will lose the election in 2023 and they told themselves that the only way we can survive that is to include the direct primaries in the bill so that Mr President can use that as an excuse, that he will not sign the bill.”
The Rivers Governor accused APC governors and their National Assembly members of deceiving Nigerians that they were at engaged in battle of supremacy over the issue of direct primaries, whereas they had secretly agreed to scuttle the possibility of transmitting election result electronically in 2023.
Governor Wike said, unfortunately, the National Assembly do not have what it takes to veto the President’s refusal to assent to the bill. According to him, the lawmakers are not interested in protecting the interest of Nigerians and ensuring that elections are free and fair with the electronic transmission of election results.
“Unfortunately, you don’t have a National Assembly that has what it takes, that will stand for the people, that will say look we were elected by the people and we want to give the people the best. Nobody in the National Assembly, not even the leadership can have what it takes to say Mr President for the interest of Nigerians we are going to veto this your refusal,” he said.