Buhari remains elusive as word spreads of his refusal to assent to bill
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Muhammadu Buhari’s spokesman Femi Adesina served up the first course on Monday when he argued on Channels Television that the President’s “reputation as a democrat will not change” if he fails to assent to the Electoral Amendment Bill.
Thus began anew on the bill the drip, drip of Buhari’s idiosyncrasy of speaking through his body language and his spokesmen while he himself says little or nothing verbally even about grave national matters.
Then on Thursday, The Sun published the story that Buhari has rejected the bill and sent it back to the National Assembly (NASS) with a letter saying direct primaries mandated in the bill will be too costly for political parties.
A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) the same day issued a statement which condemned the report as “fake news” and a “hatchet job carried out by some crooked persons to misinform Nigerians and mislead the President …”
The statement was jointly signed by Executive Director, Adopt A Goal for Development Initiative, Ariyo-Dare Atoye; The Convener, Raising New Voices Initiative, Jude Feranmi; and Executive Director, Speak Out Africa Initiative, Kenneth Eze.
Buhari himself was picked as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Alliance (APC) in a nationwide direct primary in 2015. So why he should hesitate about direct primary in the bill is a mystery.
The bill also contains a clause for electronic transmission of election results nationwide, which effectively blocked rigging in the Anambra governorship vote on November 6.
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Related articles:
CSOs urge Buhari to sign Electoral Bill. He writes INEC
Gbaja says he backs direct primaries ’cos of youth agitation
APC Governors reject direct primary
PDP kicks against direct primaries
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NASS denies knowledge of letter
The NASS transmitted the Electoral Amendment Bill to Buhari on November 19 and he has until December 19 to sign it into law. If he refuses assent, lawmakers with two-thirds majority in each Chamber can veto him and pass the bill into law.
Buhari reportedly wrote leaders of the two Chambers of the NASS after refusing to sign the bill into law because of the huge cost of direct primaries, among other reasons.
But spokesmen of the Senate and House of Representatives denied knowledge of his rejection letter. Other several lawmakers kept mum.
“I am not aware of such. The Senate president has not discussed anything with me on the matter,” Senate spokesperson Ajibola Basiru told Vanguard.
House of Representatives spokesperson Benjamin Kalu described the report as the false creation of people “trying to increase their lobbying skills to weaken the heart of so many people that believe in the advocacy” for direct primaries.
Kalu told journalists in Abuja, reported by Vanguard, that there was no communication from Buhari to suggest that the bill had been rejected and returned to the NASS.
His words: “I have been confronted by this issue left, right and centre since that publication came out till now but I want to tell you that if President Buhari sent a communications to the House of Representatives, the spokesperson of the House should be one of the first to know.
“And I can tell you with every audacity that there’s no communication from Mr. President to that effect.
“Any insinuation is a figment of imagination of those who are trying to increase their lobbying skills to weaken the heart of so many people that believe in this advocacy, to begin to look the other way, thinking Mr. President has turned the other way.
“In lobbying, so many tools are involved. Not too long ago it was reported that the cost of running direct primaries is so much.
“We agree democracy is expensive but the question you should ask yourself is why was that thrown up beyond other issues? It was a lobbying skill.
“If you are a disciple of democracy, like I am and so many other parliamentarians, you will believe that democracy in itself is not cheap, if it was cheap you wouldn’t be having three arms of government.
“So, do we drop democracy because it’s not cheap? The answer is no because of the reward that comes with it. So we can’t sacrifice the beauty of democracy on the altar of cost. It might be costly but for democracy, it’s not expensive.”
Kalu also disclosed that the House has tentatively slated December 14 to pass the N16.3 trillion 2022 Appropriation Bill into law.
“Let’s be hopeful, most of the committees have sent in their reports about what they have done so far with the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
“The Appropriation Committee is busy going through the reports to make sure the envelope for every MDAs is in order with what has been provided for them. The committee is working overtime to ensure this is done between now and the 14th.
“That date is the day we are looking at laying the report; we are also looking at winding down possibly on the 16th for the Christmas holidays.”
APC stands with Buhari on Electoral Bill
“I don’t know the details of the report. I need to know why the President is refusing assent. I can’t give you wrong information,” said Senator John Akpanudoedehe, APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee Secretary.
“We will read the report and give detailed reaction as a party. Even without reading the report, I can assure you that the party stands with the President.”
PDP won’t react to speculation
“The PDP will not be drawn to issues that are in the realm of speculation. The President has not said he would not sign the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
“As a result, the PDP will not say a word on this matter,” PDP National Publicity Secretary Kola Ologbondiyan said.
Umahi applauds Buhari for rejecting bill
Ebonyi Governor and Chairman South East Governors Forum Chairman, Dave Umahi, commended Buhari for reportedly refusing to sign the bill into law.
“Let me congratulate Mr. President for refusing to sign that Electoral Bill. You see, when we are making laws we have to look at all the factors. This is a country that when you are defeated in any primary, you refuse to accept defeat,” he said in Abakaliki.
“Now, imagine the number of our local governments, 774. Imagine the number of wards. You now go to conduct primaries in all these wards, maybe for the President and after that, the Senate and the rest of the positions.
“Even if you are doing all of them in one day, expect petitions by the number of political parties multiplied by the number of wards.
“So it will just truncate our democracy; there is no doubt about that. Nobody has considered the amount of confusion that will arise out of that because everybody that contests election will like to go to court.”
