Nigerians from different works of life have asked President Muhammadu Buhari to speed up assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill recently passed by the National Assembly in the interest of the nation.
The National Assembly had last week transmitted the harmonised version of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill to President Buhari for assent.
Aside from the approval of direct primary as the sole mode for political parties to select candidates, the parliament also empowered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to determine the procedure for the transmission of election results.
There has been a cold war between governors and legislators over the adoption of the direct primaries.
Speaking on the matter, a lawyer and public affairs analyst, Paschal Njoku, said in a statement on Wednesday that though some political parties were not comfortable with the adoption of direct primaries, it was incumbent on the president to sign the bill into law.
“Even with his opposition, he can assent to it and then seek amendments later. We need to move forward,” he said.
An Associate Professor of Political Science at Olabisi Onabanjo University, Dr. Goke Lalude, told Daily Trust that “It is now time for President Buhari to demonstrate his status of statesmanship.
“The president is no longer coming to beg for votes from Nigerians and it is high time he did that which millions of our people expected of him. He should sign the amendment to our electoral law and swell our democracy.”
A security expert and consultant, Prince Ehize Oribhabor, reasoned that signing the amended electoral act at this time would not only put the president in the good books of many Nigerians, but give his political party, the APC, a major campaign instrument and make the people to believe that they do not have ulterior motive ahead of the 2023 elections.
Speaking on the bill, the Director General, Ekiti State Culture and Tourism Board, Ambassador Wale Ojo-Lanre, said Buhari should assent to the bill to enrich his credentials in governance.
A Human Rights Activist and Expert in Constitutional Law, Ahmad Yusuf, said, “The president should sign this quickly, even though I expect an amendment to the bill soon to accommodate electronic and diaspora voting. We will celebrate what we have for now and wish he signs immediately.”
Similarly, a human rights advocate, Ms. Justina Achegbo, said, “President Buhari should show a high sense of responsibility by signing the bill; not only signing the bill, the president should do so in good time.
“This is to forestall unnecessary apprehension because delay in doing so may raise tension and create agitation among Nigerians.”
