Nigerians, including lawmakers, have been outraged by President Muhammadu Buhari’s refusal to sign the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill.
Despite rumors that President Buhari rejected the bill, Henry Nwawuba, a member of the House of Representatives, said he did not see any power struggle in the situation.
Nwawuba explained that everything will be up to members of the National Assembly when it comes to the process of making laws.
“It’s part of the process that as it goes through the House, we expose the law to public debate and then send it off for access,” he explains.
“When we return in January, we will take another look at the Electoral Act, because it is not yet over,” said the Speaker of the House.
Also read: Nigerian Senate To Confront Executive Over 2021 Electoral Act
Nwawuba emphasized that the bill was in the hands of the National Assembly, which would come together and make the best decision for Nigerians as they decided on the next steps, in response to news that nearly 80 senators had agreed to override the president’s refusal to assent to the bill, with the power to override the president’s veto.
“This is an important piece of the puzzle,” he explained.
We have legislation on our legislative agenda that we are determined to see through.
By the grace of God, we will be able to deal with the Electoral Act when we return in January.”
Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, a lawyer clarified the issue of eliminating indirect primaries, stating that each party has the right to choose between direct and indirect primaries.
He claims that direct primaries allow every member of a political party to vote and choose the type of political party and candidate for a specific election.
“There are many positive aspects to the bill that we must not overlook.”
There are some issues that the president did not address, which some people find troubling.
“The timelines for conducting primaries have been extended for all sorts of steps to be taken as extended by law,” Osaze-Uzzi explained.
Furthermore, Kunle Adegoke, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), stated that political parties have the freedom to determine their internal affairs, which has been an age-long tradition recognized by the concept of the law all the way up to the Supreme Court.
He went on to say that the recent legislative intervention to regulate political party affairs stems from the fact that the power granted to political parties to regulate their internal affairs has been significantly abused, causing much agitation.
“The National Assembly is aware of the Nigerian constitution, which recognizes only the legislature to make final decisions in this regard,” Adegoke said.
We could easily re-enact the Act, and the president would be forced to do so.
We can’t just say we have power and are free to use it; we must consider all relevant factors to the process we’re attempting to undertake.”
