Presidency speaks on Buhari signing Electoral Act Amendment Bill

The presidency has debunked speculations purporting that President Muhammadu Buhari has signed the reviewed Electoral Act Amendment Bill.

Recall that as of Saturday evening, there were insinuations that the President who proceeded on a trip to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates may have signed the bill into law, a development that was raising concerns in some quarters.

An online platform had on Saturday, published a story claiming that the President had already signed the bill, which was transmitted to him last week Friday.

But sources within the presidency said that the information was false.

Clarifying the true position, the source pointed out that the bill could not have been signed-in secret, especially when the president was out of the country and is expected back later today from UAE.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, who just returned to the country with the President, said the news of the signing, which had already gone viral on social media, was not to his knowledge, saying “it is news to me too”.

In a related development, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, House of Representatives, Umar El-Yakub, also debunked the information, stressing that the viral news could not be true, citing reasons for his conclusion.

According to El-Yakub, referring to the President on the bill, said “he couldn’t have signed it yesterday 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 sign it or will not sign it. He’s the President. But if it will be signed later, we will all know”, he said.

However,  to avoid running afoul of the Electoral Act should the President not sign the bill, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has now decided that only democratically elected delegates can vote in its primaries and national convention, which it will use the indirect mode to conduct.

Therefore, only the three ad-hoc delegates elected per ward and one national delegate elected in the local government areas across the country are eligible to vote at the exercises.

The main opposition party made the clarification on Saturday in a statement by Hon. Umar M. Bature, the National Organizing Secretary.

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The party also announced the shifting of its primaries to elect State House of Assembly candidates.

The State Assembly primaries were moved from Saturday, May 21, 2022, to Sunday, May 22, 2022, the same day that the House of Representatives will take place.

The statement reads: “By virtue of Section 84 (8) of the Electoral Act, 2022, delegates to vote at the Indirect Primaries and National Convention of political parties to elect candidates for elections shall be those democratically elected for that purpose only.

“Consequently those qualified and eligible to vote as delegates in the forthcoming Primaries and National Convention of our great Party, the PDP are the three (3) AD-HOC Delegates per ward, elected at the Ward Congresses and one (1) National Delegate per Local Government, elected at the Local Government Area Congresses.

“Furthermore, the NWC wishes to inform our Party members that the State Houses of Assembly Primaries to elect our State House of Assembly candidates, earlier scheduled for Saturday, May 21, 2022, will now hold on Sunday, May 22, 2022, from 8:00 am to 12 noon; while the House of Representatives Primaries to elect our House of Representatives candidates will also hold on Sunday, May 22, 2022, from 2:00 pm.

“All aspirants, critical stakeholders, leaders and teeming members of our Party should please take note.”

The PDP’s position is not unconnected with the delay by President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the fresh amendment to the Electoral Act into law.

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