ABUJA –Â Senate majority leader, Ahmad Lawan has said President Muhammadu Buhari has the right to withhold assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill as he could be vetting it in order to identify grey areas.
Senator Ahmad who is a member of the All Progressives Congress, APC, the ruling party in the country said that President Buhari cannot be stampeded into signing the bill into law as he has to take his time to scrutinize what was passed and sent to him.
He said the Senate corrected all the observations raised by the President when he returned the bill to the National Assembly and that even without the assent of the President, the 2006 Electoral Act was in perfect order to guide the nation in having a transparent election in 2019.
He made the observations on Friday after the jumat prayers at the mosque inside the Presidential Villa.
His words, “The electoral bill you are talking about has been sent back twice or thrice, that is to tell you that the president is willing to sign the bill provided it meets certain conditions that will make our electoral processes better and more sane.
“So, the President is studying this bill, it is not like you will send it to him and he will immediately sign. This is a sign that he is really interested in what we sent back to him. It is for him and his advisers to read through line by line and see how best the electoral process can be enhanced.
“So, I donâ€
t think we have ran out of time, in fact I think we should encourage the president and those helping him to complete going through the bill before he signs. What is the problem? We still have the 2006 Electoral Act as amended that we used in 2015 for an election that was adjudged to be free, fair and an improved process. We donâ€t necessarily put so much pressure and unneeded criticism of the president when he is yet to complete his analysis of what has been sent to him. He needs to take his time.
“And I will advise, even though I am not one of his advisers, that he goes through what has been sent to him line by line, understand whatever his advisers will tell him and of what we have sent will make the elections in 2019 better, then he signs but if however he discovers some provisions that will bring contradictions and controversies, he can can withhold assent. Iâ€m not advocating that he withholds assent but if he does, that is his right. I want to tell you that the APC caucus in the National Assembly stands with Mr. President on this.”
The post 2019: Buhari In Order To Withhold Assent To Electoral Act Amendment Bill – Lawan appeared first on Independent Newspapers Nigeria.
2019: Buhari In Order To Withhold Assent To Electoral Act Amendment Bill – Lawan
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