CSOs express disappointment with refusal of Buhari to assent Electoral Act Amendment Bill, urge NASS to veto president

The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Transparency International (TI), civil society organisation (CSOs) have expressed disappointment with the failure of the president to sign into law the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2021.

A statement signed by Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani), Executive Director, CISLAC, Head TI Nigeria and Chairman, Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), said the bill ordinarily sought 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 statement asserted.

The organsations thus called on the National Assembly to veto the president by passing the bill into law.

According to the civil society organisations, elections remained a critical aspect of democracy as it was the gateway for all citizens to achieve their aspirations for democracy.

It added that a transparent election could only be achieved by creating a robust legal framework that could “respond to the current challenges the country faces.”

“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!,” the statement said.