Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the country have expressed sadness and disappointment at President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to withhold assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill. They, therefore, called on the National Assembly to override the president’s veto in the next 30 days.
The CSOs recommended to the legislature what to do, In a statement signed by Yiaga Africa, International Press Centre (IPC), Centre for Citizens with Disability (CCD), Albino Foundation, CLEEN Foundation, Institute for Media and Society (IMS), Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF), and Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ).
The statement said, “The National Assembly, as a matter of national emergency, should either override the president’s decision or remove the contentious clause (s) from the bill and transmit the bill back to the president for assent within the next 30 days.
“The National Assembly should ensure that all clerical, editorial, and cross-referencing gaps in the current bill are resolved before transference back to the president.
“The president should expeditiously assent to the revised bill upon receipt from the National Assembly.
“Civil society groups, media, and development partners must sustain the effort to protect the will of the people and safeguard the electoral reform process from policy capture and manipulation.”
They said what was more disappointing was the fact that the president delayed his response until the effluxion of time required for assenting to the legislation, the date the National Assembly was proceeding on the Christmas and New Year holiday.
According to the CSOs, “The president’s decision to withhold assent to the bill will have serious implication for INEC as it prepares for the FCT Area Council election, the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections, and, ultimately, the 2023 general election.
“The non-conclusion of the electoral amendment process will mean that these elections will be conducted using the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), denying INEC the opportunity to test the efficacy of some of the new innovations introduced in the proposed Electoral Bill 2021.
“This is apart from the delay the commission will have to contend with in the required effort to review its guidelines, regulations and manuals in accordance with certain provisions of the bill.
“Furthermore, based on the revised timelines for specific electoral activities in the bill, INEC and other stakeholders will have to grapple with logistical, financial, and programmatic difficulties in the run-up to the 2023 general election. We reckon that this may not bode well for Nigeria’s electoral democracy, hence the clamour for the speedy conclusion of the electoral reform process.”