On Friday, February 25, President Muhammadu Buhari will sign the reworked Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
The new date was verified by a source close to the presidency to Channels Television.
According to the source, the president will honor the new date.
On January 25, the bill’s harmonized version was passed by both chambers of the National Assembly.
President Buhari received the harmonized version a week later, according to Senator Babajide Omoworare, his Senior Special Assistant on NASS Matters (Senate).
President Buhari had refused to sign the law in November 2021, citing the cost of holding direct primary elections, security concerns, and the possibility of political players manipulating voting processes as reasons for his decision.
However, before giving his consent, the president imposed several restrictions, prompting MPs to rework the bill, resulting in two versions in the green and red chambers.
The law was re-adjusted in the house to include the direct and indirect primary possibilities, while it was re-adjusted in the senate to include the direct, indirect, and consensus modes of picking candidates for political parties.
The harmonized version—the final agreed form of the change to Clause 84 that incorporated the direct, indirect, and consensus primary modes—was later passed by both chambers.
The presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, maintained his principal’s move was within the law, despite an outcry from critics who expressed concern over the delayed signing due to suspicions that the president may reject the bill again.
He argued that it would only be legitimate to suggest President Buhari broke the law if he took longer than the constitutionally mandated 30-day period to make a decision on the measure.
“It might be signed now, tomorrow, or next week.” It just took a few hours, not days. On Tuesday’s broadcast of Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Adesina added, “Hours might be 24 hours, 48 hours; days, not weeks.”
The president, however, placed various conditions before providing his permission, causing MPs to revise the law, resulting in two versions in the green and red chambers.
The law was re-adjusted in the house to include the direct and indirect primary possibilities, while in the senate, it was re-adjusted to include the direct, indirect, and consensus modes of selecting political party candidates.
Both houses later enacted the harmonized version – the final agreed-upon form of the modification to Clause 84 that combined the direct, indirect, and consensus primary modes.
Source: The Will
