President Muhammadu Buhari has not signed the Electoral Act amendment Bill transmitted to him by the National Assembly, sources in the Presidency have confirmed.
Before the return of the President to Abuja Saturday after a two-day visit to the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Abu Dhabi, several online news platforms had reported that he had signed the amended electoral law.
Daily Trust reports that the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, also denied knowledge of the President assent.
Shehu, who just returned to the country with the President, said: “Yes, I have also read it. They know something we don’t know. They have their sources we don’t know.”
Similarly, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, House of Representatives, Hon Umar El-Yakub, doubted the authenticity of the news.
According to him, “he (the president) couldn’t have signed it yesterday (Friday) because he was out of the country and he couldn’t have signed already because he’s just entering the country.
“I also cannot tell you that he will still not sign it or will not sign it. He’s the President. But if it will be signed later, we will all know,” he said.
The amendment is important to the participation of statutory delegates at the primaries and national convention of political parties, having been excluded from voting and being voted in the previous amendment signed into law by the President.
Political parties are required by the Electoral Act to submit the lists of their delegates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) seven days to the national convention.
Should the president refuse to sign the amended electoral bill, the statutory delegates cannot participate in the coming primaries which most parties fixed for the end of this month, leaving only elected delegates to elect presidential, governorship, and legislative candidates.
