Bukola Saraki, Nigerian senate president has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the 2018 Electoral Bill and reject the advice of alleged anti-democratic elements.
The Senate president said in a statement that the president should rise above petty politics and act without further delay; in the best interest of the country and democracy by signing the electoral bill into law.
He said members of the National Assembly have inundated him with telephone calls and discussions over their concerns about the delay in the signing into law, of the new electoral bill, as the one month period provided by the law for the president to sign a bill presented to him by the National Assembly is about to expire in the next few days.
“It is the prerogative of the president to either sign a bill into law or refuse it assent. He is free to exercise this prerogative the way he likes in this case.
He said members of the National Assembly have inundated him with telephone calls and discussions over their concerns about the delay in the signing into law, of the new electoral bill, as the one month period provided by the law for the president to sign a bill presented to him by the National Assembly is about to expire in the next few days.
“It is the prerogative of the president to either sign a bill into law or refuse it assent. He is free to exercise this prerogative the way he likes in this case.
"What I found surprising is a situation where some people now want to adopt a wrong tactic of abusing the court process to stall the matter. That will be unacceptable and I am sure our Judiciary will rely on the lessons from the past and not allow itself to be used.
“We do not want the president to allow the setting of a bad precedent where somebody would go to court, in future, to stop the passage of an appropriation bill or any essential law which will be important to the development of the country.
“My position remains that the president, his aides, the entire country and the international community are aware that all the concerns raised by the president, on the last three occasions he withheld assent to the bill, have been addressed by the Legislature.
“My position remains that the president, his aides, the entire country and the international community are aware that all the concerns raised by the president, on the last three occasions he withheld assent to the bill, have been addressed by the Legislature.
Saraki noted that the parliament bent backwards on each occasion to accommodate the wishes of the president.
According to him, work on the electoral law started since 2016 to prevent a situation where it would become part of the election controversies.
“The president should know that the survival of democracy, its development and the future of Nigeria are far more important than the ambition of any individual or party. I am seizing this opportunity to call on president Muhammadu Buhari to put a stop to this uncertainty in the political process by signing, without delay, the 2018 electoral bill, so as to allow Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the concerned parties know how to prepare for a credible process,” Saraki stated.
Earlier, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) warned INEC to conduct free, fair and credible elections in 2019 or incur the wrath of Nigerians.
PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus said this in Ilorin, yesterday, during the North Central presidential rally of the PDP candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
“Let us warn the INEC chair that he should not cause crisis in Nigeria by rigging 2019 elections. If INEC wants peace in Nigeria elections must be free and fair. If INEC likes, it should ignore the card reader, manipulate the machines or do whatsoever INEC wants to do but Nigerians will not accept rigged elections. So, you better be warned
“The president should know that the survival of democracy, its development and the future of Nigeria are far more important than the ambition of any individual or party. I am seizing this opportunity to call on president Muhammadu Buhari to put a stop to this uncertainty in the political process by signing, without delay, the 2018 electoral bill, so as to allow Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the concerned parties know how to prepare for a credible process,” Saraki stated.
Earlier, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) warned INEC to conduct free, fair and credible elections in 2019 or incur the wrath of Nigerians.
PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus said this in Ilorin, yesterday, during the North Central presidential rally of the PDP candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
“Let us warn the INEC chair that he should not cause crisis in Nigeria by rigging 2019 elections. If INEC wants peace in Nigeria elections must be free and fair. If INEC likes, it should ignore the card reader, manipulate the machines or do whatsoever INEC wants to do but Nigerians will not accept rigged elections. So, you better be warned
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