President Muhammadu
Buhari and his main rival, Abubakar Atiku, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,
presidential candidate, were yesterday locked in verbal war over the Electoral
Act Amendment Bill. President M Buhari and Atiku While the President got the support
of Buhari Media Organisation, BMO, in his decision to withhold assent to the
Bill, which the President claimed was in the interest of the country, the claim
was immediately ridiculed by the Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organisation which
said the President’s decision has evaporated every trace of his integrity. The
BMO in a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary, Cassidy
Madueke, said the decision not to sign the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill as
passed by the National Assembly had saved the country from a chaotic electoral
process. BMO said: “It is trite that the deployment of a new electoral
law only two months to an election is a recipe for chaos. Introducing a new law
that redefines fundamentally the processes of our elections is only setting a
shaky foundation for the 2019 polls. “Also, with such fundamental changes such
as the introduction of electronic transmission of results, and the compulsion
in the use of the card reader without any remedy, among others, INEC staff
would have to be trained and re-trained within two months, a period that is
certainly not enough for that to happen.” The group noted further that an
ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance discourages any forms of
amendments or changes to electoral laws six months before any election, and
hailed the President for complying with democratic best practices. It added
that it was no fault of President Buhari that the leadership of the National
Assembly delayed the amendment since mid 2017. “The Federal legislature had in
the process of presenting the Bill for the President to sign in the last four
occasions, made several unforgivable drafting errors. At every point, he
identified these errors and sent them back for corrections – and he was right
every time. So much that the third time the National Assembly passed on
the Bill for the President’s signature, they had conspicuously and suspiciously
removed the use of the card readers during elections. The President sent it
back and insisted that it be included.” The group noted that the most recent
amendment that the National Assembly sent to the President was not just late,
but also contained grave drafting errors that if left to proceed, would give
room for rigging and manipulation of results of elections. BMO said: “Any
attempt by some desperate unpatriotic federal lawmakers to override the
President’s veto would amount to a battle line being drawn between them and the
Nigerian people and their right to free and fair elections. “We call on the
sensible members of the National Assembly to prevail and ensure that the
electoral processes are not toyed with for the self-serving interests of some
of their colleagues; but rather ensure that the errors identified by President
Buhari are looked into, rectified and sent back for his assent. “The President
would not do anything to hurt Nigeria’s democratic and electoral processes, as
the last three occasions he sent the Bills back on grounds of grave errors, he
was proved right when the National Assembly effected the corrections he
proposed, and this time would not be different, BMO said.” Buhari has
short-changed Nigerians — Atiku The Atiku Campaign reacting through its
spokesman, Prince Kassim Afegbua, chided the President and his supporters for
failing to keep faith with commitments freely made to Nigerians recently on
credible 2019 polls. He said: “The fact that President Buhari refused to sign
such bill which attempts to strengthen the process of free, fair and credible
election, means that he’s not sincere with Nigerians and his earlier stated
commitment to free and fair election was just a fluke. “His supporters have
suddenly become paranoid over a law that should guarantee credible polls, yet
they will tell you they have a man of integrity. How do you define integrity in
this manner? “How can a President decide to short-changed his own people by
refusing them a law that would accommodate majority of voters and ensure the
votes actually count. “His decision is not only ridiculous, embarrassing and
vainglorious, it smacks of irresponsibility to travel on that road. It is
not only a contradiction on the part of the President, it is an admittance that
he has lost confidence of the people and not truly sure of his fate in the
elections. “We have heard some grapevine information that suggested that if the
president decides to sign, he would have signed away his defeat. “Scared stiff,
he jettisoned a bill that provides opportunity for a robust electoral process
just for self aggrandizement and ulterior motives. “We will remain
resolute in our call that the right thing must be done, and our people’s votes
must count as we prepare the ground for the electoral defeat of this
under-performing government and president full of contradictions, full of
self-righteous indignation and pretentiousness. “It is a global embarrassment
and insult on the collective psyche of Nigerians who are desirous of seeing a
free, fair and credible election in 2019.”