‘Etch Your Name In Gold’ – Civil Society Group Urges NASS To Veto Electoral Amendment Bill
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Transparency International (TI) Nigeria has urged the National Assembly to override President Muhammadu Buhari and veto the
electoral act amendment bill.
Buhari had on Tuesday written to the national assembly to inform its of his refusal to assent to the bill after the national assembly had, on November 19, transmitted the bill to the president for assent.
The president kicked against the recommendation on adopting direct primaries, also citing concerns on rights violation as well as cost as part of reasons for his refusal to sign the bill.
“The conduct of direct primaries across the 8,809 wards across the length and breadth of the country will lead to a significant spike in the cost of conducting primary elections by parties as well as increase in the cost of monitoring such elections by INEC who has to deploy monitors across these wards each time a party is to conduct direct primaries for the presidential, gubernatorial and legislative posts. The addition of these costs with the already huge cost of conducting general elections will inevitable lead to huge financial burden on both the political parties, INEC and the economy in general at a time of dwindling revenues,” the letter read.
However, in a statement on Tuesday, the Civil society group urged the national assembly to “etch its name in gold in the right pages of our history” by overusing the president.
According to the statement signed by Auwal Ibrahim Musa, Executive Director CISLAC,
Head TI Nigeria / Chairman, Transition Monitoring Group ( TMG), the group said, “we would like to express our disappointment over the failure of the president to sign the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2021.
“In furtherance to this, we strongly urge the National Assembly to veto the president on this matter.
Elections remain a critical aspect of democracy as it is the gateway for all citizens to achieve their aspirations for democracy, and a transparent election can only be achieved by creating a legal framework a robust legal framework that can respond to the current challenges we face,” the statement reads.
“The Bill seeks to improve the electoral system by providing the legal backing for the use of technology in the accreditation of voters and transmission of election results. It seeks to enhance timelines for electoral activities, including voting, collation, and announcement of results, and adequately defines over-voting, confers authority on INEC to review questionable election results and monitor direct primaries for all political parties.
“We believe that this bill will increase transparency in our electoral process, encourage citizens to participate in the process as aspirants and voters as well as help improve the ideology of our elections by reducing the reliance on dirty money.”
The group added, “We, therefore, call on the 9th Assembly to etch its name in gold in the right pages of our history by exercising its powers under S. 58 (5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (As Amended) which states that “Where the President withholds his assent and the bill is again passed by each House by two-thirds majority, the bill shall become law and the assent of the President shall not be required.”
“If the National Assembly vetoes the president, it will show their independence and above all, respect the view of the constituents who gave them the mandate to legislate on their behalf. NASS can simply not afford to disappoint Nigerians.”
With a two – third majority of both chambers, the National assembly can veto the bill and it will become an act.
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