Sign Amended Electoral Bill Now – Tambuwal, PDP Reps Urge Buhari

BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – With just days to the political parties’ primary elections across the country, Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal has charged President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately sign the amended Electoral Act 2022 recently transmitted to him by the National Assembly to douse the tension already mounting in the nation’s political space.

Towing the same line in making an urgent appeal to the President is the House of Representatives Minority Caucus with its submission that signing the bill would not only strengthen democracy but also avert the several litigations likely to arise from next year’s general elections.

By the amendment, elected representatives, including the President, Vice President, Governors, and Deputy Governors among others, would have the voting rights during the forthcoming party primaries as statutory delegates.

However, the Sokoto State Chief Executive, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant, said the presidential assent to the amendment or not, his chances of clinching the opposition party’s ticket would not be negatively affected.

According to him; “The president should sign the amended Electoral Act. It is for the good of democracy. It does not affect me personally.”

Addressing Ondo PDP delegates and stakeholders in Akure, Governor Tambuwal also said the country needs to be restructured to promote fairness and pledged to promote the process if given the mandate as Nigeria’s next president.

Speaking in the same vein in support of immediate assent to the amended Act by President Buhari, the Minority Leader of the House, Ndudi Elumelu, said in a statement that the delay in signing the amendment to Section 84 (8) of the Electoral Act 2022 is causing serious anxiety and confusion within the political system.

For the caucus, the confusion constitutes a threat to our democracy and the smooth conduct of next year’s general elections and the President can address the needless apprehension by quickly assenting to the amendment.

The Caucus statement said; “The Minority Caucus urges President Buhari to note that any further delay in signing the amendment to the Electoral Act to give political parties a sense of direction in the conduct of primaries for the election of candidates for the 2023 general elections has the capacity to derail our entire democratic process and destabilize our dear nation.

“As representatives of the people, the Minority Caucus, we urge Mr President to avert an imminent political crisis which has the capacity of exacerbating the security situation in the country by immediately signing the Amendment to the Electoral Act 2022 and leave a legacy of a credible electoral process to the nation.

“Our caucus calls on all Nigerians, Civil Society Organisations(CSOs), the international community and all lovers of democracy to prevail on President Buhari to immediately sign the amendment to the Electoral Act 2022 and save our nation from an avoidable crisis.”