PDP governors, presidency bicker over Buhari’s refusal to sign Electoral Act Bill

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum has condemned the refusal of President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill.
The forum made the condemnation in a communiqué signed by its Chairman and Governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele Fayose, after the forum’s meeting in Abuja on Monday.
The governors said that the president’s decline of assent to the Bill was indicative that the All Progressives Congress (APC) was afraid of electronic voting or the introduction of technology into the electoral system.
The forum also condemned what it said was “politicization of security agencies in the country’’.
“We observe that security agencies have become organs and tools of the APC-led Federal Government to harass and intimidate the opposition and dissenting voices.
“The Forum decries the use of security agencies to perpetrate electoral fraud as it happened in Ekiti, Osun and Rivers.
“We urge security agencies to be non-partisan in the performance of their duties in accordance with the provisions of the constitution.’’
The governors also condemned the raid on the Abuja residence of elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark and the harassment on innocent Nigerians on what it termed “frivolous claims.’’
They also advised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reinvent itself as a truly independent umpire of the electoral process in the country, declaring that the forum had no confidence in the commission.
They deplored “the surreptitious, selective and suspicious payment of N16 billion purportedly from the Paris Club Refund.
“We are of the view that the money is to fund corrupt inducement of voters in the forthcoming governorship election in Osun.’’
The forum said that it had resolved to have an all-inclusive meeting with all PDP Presidential aspirants, the party’s national chairman, two national officers and leaders of the party in the National Assembly.
But, in a swift reaction, the Presidency said Card Reader was not included in the latest Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2018, which Buhari declined assent to.
Senator Ita Enang, Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), made this known in a statement in Abuja.
Enang said the clarification became necessary in view of false allegations by opposition politicians that the card reader provision in the Bill was one of the reasons the president withheld assent to it.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I hereby state expressly that the card reader provision addressed by Section 49 of the Principal Act was completely, expressly and unequivocally excluded.
“It is not in anywise, part of the provisions of the bill forwarded to the President on Aug. 3, 2018, and could therefore not form part of the consideration of the President,’’ he said.
In a similar statement on September 3, Enang had announced the president’s decision not to sign the bill, which was forwarded to him by the National Assembly for the third time, on August 3.
He said that the decision was based on “some drafting issues” that remained unaddressed following the prior revisions to the Bill.
Since then, there have been allegations by opposition elements and speculation in a section of the media that the president is against e-voting and the use of card readers in the upcoming elections.
Enang’s latest revelation came barely 24 hours after the Presidency rejected the allegations in a statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the President, Mr Garba Shehu.
Enang stated that although there was card reader provision in the two previous amendments of the Bill, it was never mentioned as a subject of disagreement between the president and the national assembly.
He said, “for further clarity, the Bill of Feb. 20 had 43 clauses, and the revised Bill of June 27 had 41 clauses.
“The current further revised Bill of August 3, which now excludes the card reader, has just 15 clauses in the absolute wisdom of the National Assembly.
“And the President has no constitutional or legal authority to add or remove any provision to or from what the National Assembly has transmitted to him.’’
The president’s aide noted that by withholding assent to latest transmission that excluded the card reader provision, Buhari had actually preserved the card reader.
This, he explained, was an opportunity for the lawmakers to restore the card reader provision when reconsidering the Bill “in its absolute legislative discretion’’.
“I pray that this will put paid to mischief and deliberate misinformation even by persons and institutions who know these facts,’’ he said.