- The decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to withhold assent to the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill is still generating reactions
- The president's actions has caused tension in the House of Representatives
- Members of the PDP and APC recently traded words over the president's refusal to sign the bill into law
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members in the House of Representatives and their counterparts in the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday, December 12, traded words over the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to withhold assent to the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill.
While the APC caucus in the lower house backed Buhari’s decision with a vow to ensure that the National Assembly’s planned move to override the president’s veto failed, their PDP counterparts said the president’s action was against the interest of the country and they would challenge it.
The APC caucus described the bill, which was the fourth version the National Assembly would pass and transmit to the president, as an “imperfect document.”
Leader of the caucus and majority leader of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, who addressed journalists in company with other members, argued that the National Assembly could not override Buhari’s veto, especially as the president also pointed out clerical errors in the bill.
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The lawmaker further argued that even though the president cited the reason for vetoing the bill, the constitution does not compel him to explain his decision.
His words: “Mr President has done well. If you study the constitution very well and if you look at Section 57, it does not oblige him to give any reason for veto. All he has to do is return it and say, ‘I am withholding my assent.’ He doesn’t have to give you any reason. But every time he has done that, he has brought forward cogent and verifiable reasons why he is not signing it.
“On this particular one, I believe the thrust, spirit and the reason why Mr President has refused to sign it, which we identify with, is that every vote must count in Nigeria. We have been mouthing this thing and singing this thing for ages.”
Gbajabiamila recalled that the APC lawmakers had while debating the bill, warned against making electronic accreditation of voters in an election compulsory as the bill intended.
He said, “It forecloses manual registration. When you do that; we were all witnesses to what happened in the last election; even the sitting president could not be accredited. So, what Mr President has done is to protect everybody in Nigeria.
“Yes, do your electronic accreditation but make room for the possibility - and a very strong possibility too – where such will not work. It is something that happens every day in the banks. Jammers can even be brought in to jam it. Millions will be disenfranchised and you and I don’t want that.”
Responding, the PDP Caucus in the House described the position taken by the APC caucus as inconsequential.
Minority Leader, Leo Ogor, told The Punch, “That is totally inconsequential because the most important thing is that national interest is more important. The hearsay or whatever they are saying has nothing to do with the issue. If they want to play politics, let them play politics.”
Asked if the PDP lawmakers were still bent on overriding the president’s veto, Ogor said they had “not thought of it yet but the options are still available.”
When further probed to state where the caucus stood on the reason cited by Buhari for not assenting to the bill, the Ogor said, “Let us call a spade a spade. National interest is more important. You need to look at the whole issue and judge for yourself. If anybody has any interest, to God be the glory.”
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President Muhammadu Buhari recently wrote to the Nigerian Senate on his decision to decline assent to the electoral amendment bill, 2018.
According to the president, signing the bill will, “create some uncertainty about the applicable legislation to govern the process.”
The letter was read by Senate president, Bukola Saraki, during plenary on Tuesday, December 11.
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