The Presidency of Nigeria has revealed that President Muhammdu Buhari will approve the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2021.
Babajide Omoworare, the Senior Special Assistant National Assembly Matters (Senate), made this known on Thursday during a dialogue on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, organized by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies in Abuja.
Speaking on the policy dialogue centred on ‘Electoral Bill 2021 and Quest for Presidential Assent: Matters Arising,’ Omoworare said his principal is still consulting with critical stakeholders on whether to sign the electoral act amendment bill or not.
Omoworare said that Buhari is aware of the constitutional time constraint for assent to the bill, stating that Section 58 of the Constitution has given the president a 30-day time frame to sign the document.
“Consultations are going on and we are aware that despite the fact that the President needs 30 days under Section 58 within which to sign, the President is desirous of signing it, otherwise I don’t know,” the presidential aide said.
“I can’t speak for him now. It is going to be as a result of the consultations whether he signs or not, but we know we have time constraint.”
In his remarks, a former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega, said a good law was necessary for electoral integrity.
Jega picked holes in the bill, especially the provisions for campaign financing by presidential candidates.
“There is a good fundamental democratic principle. Candidates for presidency spending N5 billion and governors spending ₦1 billion for elections is a very bad law,” he said.
“To my mind, it is just one aspect out of the many good things that are in that bill. Whether you do direct or indirect primaries, it does not matter so long as political parties are not democratic.
“If there is no internal party democracy, whether you do direct or indirect primaries, they will still manipulate it and the outcome will still not be favourable to the people.”
