Electoral Act: Rejection of presidential assent show of leadership-APC chieftain

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Enugu, Juliet Ibekaku-Nwagwu, says the decision by President Muhammadu Buhari to reject assent to the Electoral Act is a `show of leadership’.
Ibekaku-Nwagwu, a former Special Adviser to Buhari on Justice Reform Sector, said this in a statement made available to newsmen on Sunday in Enugu.
It will be recalled that the president for the fourth time declined assent to the bill and on Friday relayed his reason to the National Assembly.
The president told the NASS that it would be counterproductive to sign the bill into law less than three months to the general elections.
Buhari noted that enforcing the bill at the material time would end up causing uncertainty and crisis in the land, adding that he would sign the bill after the 2019 elections.
Ibekaku-Nwagwu, who is the Enugu West senatorial candidate of the APC, said that the decision was in the best interest of the nation.
She said that enforcing the amended act in the 2019 general elections could be a booby trap capable of discrediting the laudable work of the current administration.
The senatorial candidate said that amending rules that would guide the conduct of an election less than three months could alter preparations made by the electoral umpire.
She said: “The rejection of assent to the Electoral Act as amended by the president is a timely decision that smacks of courage and wisdom and saves the country from a possible political implosion.
“The decision also saves the Independent National Electoral Commission from a booby trap that would have put the commission in a very tight situation.”
Ibekaku-Nwagwu said that Nigerians should discountenance whatever propaganda against the decision of the president and focus on the efforts to correct the mistakes of the past.
She said: “The achievements of this administration speak volumes and that should remain our focus.”
Meanwhile, the President of the Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network, Olu Omotayo, said that the president may be within his ‘rights’ by withholding his assent.
Omotayo, who is a lawyer referred to Article 2 of the Economic Community of West African States Protocol which Nigeria is a signatory to.
He said that the protocol forbade member countries from modifying their electoral laws less than six months to elections.
She said: “The provision of the ECOWAS protocol has persuasive effect on us and the NASS can still look at it and see what can be done.
“However, with the president and NASS elections slated for February 16 and the governorship and State Houses Assembly slated for March 2, signing the bill will violate the protocol.”