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From Adetutu Folasade-Koyi, Abuja
Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA) has urged the National Assembly to, without delay, muster the political will and ensure the new electoral legislation becomes law.
On November 19, 2021, the National Assembly transmitted the new Electoral Bill to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent.
The constitutional deadline for the president to assent to the new electoral law, which mandates direct primary for candidates for the 2023 general election, lapsed on Sunday, December 19, 2021. This was the same day the president returned from an official trip to Turkey.
Twenty four hours after, mum is the word from the presidency and the two chambers of the National Assembly.
Regardless, in a statement CTA issued in Abuja, yesterday, the non-governmental organisation said Buhari has dashed the hopes of Nigerians who had hoped he would sign the new law as “birthday gift. This hope was dashed disappointingly.
“The president, in a recent interview, promised to bequeath Nigerians and Nigeria with a transparent electoral process that will deepen our democracy. “No time would have been more appropriate than the president’s birthday.”
The CTA insisted the president had ample time to sign the new electoral law if he stood by his words that he wants to bequeath an enduring political process for Nigeria.
“President Buhari had enough time to return the bill to the National Assembly to restore such powers to the political parties as soon as he received the bill and asked for expeditious amendment if he wished, but he failed to do so.
“The CTA is, by this statement, in support of the calls by other CSOs for the National Assembly, in the spirit of patriotism, to veto the president and pass the bill into law as a way forward to conducting a free, fair, and credible elections that will stand the test of time.
“We equally, call on citizens, patriots, the civil society, students, religious and traditional leaders to prevail on the National Assembly to do the wishes of the people as we look forward to 2023 general election…”
