joshua
Success Nwogu
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of scuttling the signing of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2021, because, according to it, some key provisions in the bill will not allow its alleged grand design to rig the 2023 general elections.
The President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan; and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Olufemi Hakeem Gbajabiamila, during the opening of plenary on Tuesday in Abuja, read the communication from President Muhammadu Buhari to both houses on his rejection of the Electoral Act 2021 (Amendment) bill.
The communication was titled, ‘Withholding of Assent to Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2021.’
Buhari had given reasons for declining to assent to the bill to include issues relating to direct primary such as security concerns, cost and over-monetization of the electoral process, litigation, and the direct primary, according to him is a violation of the underlying spirit of democracy which is characterized by freedom of choices.
But the PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Debo Ologunagba, in a statement alleged that the APC was afraid that signing the electoral act will frustrate its alleged plan to rig elections.
He said,”It is instructive to recall that the APC has been in trepidation of the amendment to the Electoral Act, due mainly to the provision of electronic transmission of election results, which will completely eliminate APC’s manipulations and alteration of results at elections.
“It is apparent that the APC and the Buhari Presidency were never committed to the amendment of the Electoral Act to ensure credible elections and as such triggered the controversy of the mode of primaries by political parties as camouflage to scuttle the entire Amendment Bill including provisions for electronic transmission of results among others.
“It is imperative to remind Nigerians of how the APC, in collusion with their leaders in the National Assembly fought hard to stop the electronic transmission of results provision in the Bill but were resisted by Nigerians supported by the courageous action of the PDP Caucus in the House of Representatives which staged a walkout only for the APC to orchestrate controversies and set the stage for the withholding of assent by Mr. President.
“The main reason for this manipulation of the legislative process by the APC, is to prevent the electronic transmission of results so that it can continue in its culture of rigging and electoral impunities including alteration of results at collation, ballot box snatching, destruction of data among others; just to cling to power against the will of Nigerians.
“Such is consistent with the APC’s well-known machination against every genuine effort to instill credible, transparent, free, and fair elections in Nigeria in the last six years. The APC thrives in electoral scam, duplicity, underhand dealings, violence, and political brigandage, all in their heinous script to put Nigerians under perpetual bondage.”
He further said, “Having been rejected for its failures and having also self-decimated its structure across the country, the APC has completely lost the capacity and goodwill for electoral contest and as such seeks every means to subvert any process that can guarantee credible elections in 2023.
“The subversion of the passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill by the APC further validates the fact that the APC is averse to the aspiration of Nigerians and does not believe in democratic principles of credible elections.
“Our party, therefore, calls on all Nigerians, Civil Society Organizations, the International Community and all lovers of democracy across the world to rise up and put appropriate pressure on the APC-led National Assembly to immediately do the needful so as to safeguard our democracy by ensuring that the basic principles of a transparent, credible, free and fair mode of conducting elections are guaranteed and sustained by law.
“The PDP cautions the APC to note that no matter their machination, Nigerians are determined to pursue the electronic transmission of election results to its logical conclusion and that there is no going back in their resolve to vote out the APC in 2023.”
It could be recalled that Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) Dr Kayode Fayemi had defended Buhari for not assenting to the bill.
Fayemi, who is also the Governor of Ekiti State while speaking with journalists in Abuja after a meeting with the President at the State House, said President Buhari was just being fair to all.
Fayemi said: “Mr. President has not objected to direct primaries, neither has he endorsed indirect primaries. He has only said, be fair to all, let all options apply and what you decide should be determined by your own local and peculiar circumstances, being mindful of questions of security, finances, and internal democracy.
“There’s been this exaggerated expectation that direct primary is going to provide all answers to whatever electoral challenges that we have faced.
“Direct primary has its own challenges, indirect primary has its own challenges, a consensus approach is also not without challenges, but options should be provided.”
