Electoral Act: Amaechi backs Buhari, warns NASS against passing bill into law

First Republic Minister, Mbazulike Amaechi, has backed President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to withhold assent of the Electoral Amendment Bill.

Amaechi said Buhari showed his patriotic side to Nigeria by rejecting to sign the bill into law.

In a statement he issued, the former Aviation Minister explained that the Electoral Act only favours members of the National Assembly and not Nigerians.

According to Amaechi: “I think that the President is perfectly and patriotically right in refusing to sign that bill as presented to him by the National Assembly.

“If it left as the National Assembly has presented it to him to sign, it only favours them, who are already sitting members of the National Assembly, because it is they alone that could garner the known and unknown allowances, a heavy amount of money that is required to run an election under their system they are proposing.”

The elder statesman pointed out that the bill denies Nigerians the opportunity to be involved in electing their leaders.

He also noted that the current bill won’t allow women participate in elections.

The Igbo elder further noted that posterity would judge the National Assembly if the veto Buhari’s decision.

Amaechi added: “It denies many the use of the country’s chance to participate in the elective government of their country at any stage at the state or at the federal level.

“So I think it is very unpatriotic for the National Assembly to enact the law, and the President I must say should stand firm to his decision not to sign it, if they vote it in the National Assembly, the world will know that it has happened in that way, that it was not the President that signed it into law, and posterity will judge the people who vetoed it into law.”