It is not true that President Muhammadu Buhari, has rejected signing into law the new electoral act amended by the National Assembly, which was sent to him on June 25, three months after rejecting the initial contentious one, which would have seen the presidential election coming last.
But the President, according to reports, had also rejected the new bill after raising some issues with it, just like in the last edition, in a manner that reportedly suggested that the lawmakers would have to return back to make further amendments.
But, this was not the case, according to an explanation, given Tuesday morning by Senator Ita Enang, the Presidential Liaison Officer for the National Assembly, who explained that contrary to the report, the President, simply pointed out to some minor errors, which had since been corrected and a new copy of the bill was currently before him.
Enang, who spoke on Focus Nigeria, a current affairs programme on African Independent Television (AIT), explained that the re-amended bill was returned to both chambers of the NASS, only last month, but before the correction the President wanted were made, the 30 days constitutionally allowed for him to sign the bill had elapsed and the only thing he could do in that circumstance, was to return it formally, adding that a clean copy was before him presently.
Hear him: “The electoral bill has not been rejected. The National Assembly passed the first amended electoral act and constitutional issues arose, the President drew attention and declined assent. The National Assembly, again, passed the electoral act and forwarded to Mr. President and in the course of going through it and interacting with stakeholders, some mistakes in drafting and constitutional representation and redrafting, were noted.
“It happened that those are not matters without reference back to the floor and attention of the leadership and membership of the National Assembly were drawn to it and so on 24 th of July, 2018, the National Assembly corrected those provisions and it was reflected in their votes and proceedings and forwarded to Mr. President, sometime early this month (August).
“But because Mr. President in trying to react to those impurities within the first and second weeks, the time would have lapsed, it became constitutionally right for Mr. President to write and inform the National Assembly within the 30 days formally of the impurities and the reason for declining assent.
“But, while that was, the National Assembly, had forwarded to Mr. President, another electoral act. So, that one is pending and is undergoing standard presidential procedure. So, there is no electoral act that is pending. The one that has issue is the one that Mr. President, to comply with constitutional requirement of 30 days of signifying or otherwise withholding assent, Mr. President had to send it back. So, there is an electoral act that is pending before the President.
“The latest one, which was passed and sent back by the National Assembly, has not been rejected. It is still pending before the President for his consideration. But the earlier one, which was the second one, had some issues which the leadership and the membership of the National Assembly, were drawn to and they agreed that those were impurities and the corrected it on the 24 th of July and sent it to Mr. President.
“And since Mr. President, under the constitution, has no powers to withhold the second one that was forwarded to him, beyond 30 days, Mr. President, in compliance with the constitution, had to decline assent, formally to that second one. It is the third one that he is now considering.”
He declined to mention the areas that were corrected in the fresh bill, saying it was improper for him to ape the President’s communication to the NASS, before it was read in their chambers, but dismiss as false that the objections would tamper with the shopping list for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the conduct of the 2019 election or cause any form of delay thereof.
Source: AIT
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