President Buhari to Sign Electoral Bill on Friday

By Ogundele Olanrewaju

Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari has resolved to sign the highly controversial electoral bill on Friday, Presidential sources reveal.

Buhari has faced serious criticisms for being ‘slow’ to assent to the bill. On Tuesday morning, Presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina disclosed that the President would sign the bill ‘any moment from now’.

Mr Femi Adesina during an interview on Sunrise Daily said President Buhari will sign the bill any moment from now.

“It could be today, it could be tomorrow, it could be anytime, but within the 30 days. It could be signed today; it could be signed tomorrow. In a matter of hours, not days. Hours could be 24 hours, it could be 48 hours; not days, not weeks,” he said.

It can be recalled that the National Assembly transmitted the re-amended Electoral Act Amendment Bill to President Buhari for assent on January 31.

On January 25, lawmakers in the Senate and House of Representatives chambers of the National Assembly passed the harmonised version of the bill. The President declined to sign the bill in November last year due to what he described as huge costs of running direct primary elections, security challenges, and possible manipulation of electoral processes.

He asked that changes be made to the bill before he assents.