Chairman, Forum of Presidential Candidate Shittu, applauded Buhari for not assenting to a new Electoral Act Bill
The Chairman Forum of Presidential Candidate, Mallam Shitu Muhammed Kabir, said President Muhammadu Buhari has averted a major political blunder that may result in a major crisis by not assenting to a new Electoral Act Bill at a time when the 2019 general elections Time table was about 85% consummated.
Shitu made this statement at the forum organised by Presidential Summit Centre in collaboration with Forum of Presidential Candidates towards a peaceful conduct of elections.
He explained that president Muhammadu Buhari's decision not to sign the proposed law was in the best interest of democracy in Nigeria.
“It is trite that the deployment of a new electoral law only few months to an election is a recipe for political chaos.
“Introducing a new law that redefines fundamentally the processes of our elections is only setting a shaky foundation for the 2019 polls.
He said President Muhammadu Buhari is not alone in his action with regard to the Electoral Act Bill.
“Apart from the fact that three political parties had earlier gone to court to restrain the President from assenting to the amended bill, 21 political parties here present today are in solidarity with the President over his refusal to assent to the bill”.
“I therefore urge the international Community, not to be misled by the views and opinions of some disgruntled elements who portrays the President’s action as self-serving”.
According to Shittu, the decision not to assent the Bill is in line with the position of the Forum of political parties’ Presidential Candidates.
Meanwhile a lecturer from the university of Abuja Dele Babalola, has urged politicians to base their campaigns on issues not on irrelevant matters like fake news, hate speeches that may result to election violence.
“Service to the people that is what elections should be about. Fake news can lead to violence. The quality of opposition in Nigeria is poor we spend months talking about president being cloned is that part of the campaign? You hear people say a presidential candidate cannot travel to America ,that is not how to campaign. Talk about what you can do better .
He also urged security operatives to be neutral during elections for the sake of national interest and not selfish gains.
“ Elections is not do or die, it is easy to manipulate elections through poverty, some people have not eaten and you ask them to stone opposition and they do it .Please for the sake of National interest be neutral”.
He called on politicians to respect the peace accord which most of the presidential candidates signed as one of the strategies to ensuring a peaceful election.
“I wish that this peace accord can be extended to States levels . No country has a perfect election all we want is a free, fair and credible elections”.
