EXCLUSIVE: Fears mount as Buhari keeps mum over assent to Electoral Act amendment

There is currently palpable fear over what becomes the fate of statutory delegates to political parties’ conventions less than 10 days to the start of presidential primaries as President Muhammadu Buhari is yet to sign the new amendment to the electoral law.

WesternPost exclusively reported that the National Assembly would effect a change to the Electoral Law after it was discovered that statutory delegates such as National Assembly members, ministers, commissioners and other political appointees were excluded from voting at the party primaries in the 2022 Electoral Law assented to by the president on February 25, 2022.

The Senate and House of Representatives eventually corrected and effected the amendment that took care of the omission in the signed law two weeks ago and from available sources, the National Assembly transmitted the amendment for a fresh presidential assent to State House since last week.

A source within the National Assembly confided in our correspondent that politicians across the country are already apprehensive and agitated over what may become of those who should be delegates that were left out in the 2022 Electoral Law.

“Politicians from all the political parties, aspirants to various political offices and political parties are worried that few days to the start of the primaries, President Buhari has not signed the amendment,” the source said.

Our correspondent gathered as of Thursday, May 19, 2022, there was no indication that President Buhari has declined assent or will accept to sign.

There is however concern that the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami may have advised the President not to sign the amendment to the Electoral Law for reasons not known to any of the political actors.

The implication of not signing the amendment to the new law by the President means President Buhari himself, governors, ministers among others will not be able to vote at their party’s convention.

Peoples Democratic Party and All Progressives Congress, the two major political parties have fixed their presidential election conventions to hold between May 26th-30th.