2019: Buhari Afraid To Sign Amended Electoral Bill – PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says President Muhammadu Buhari is afraid to sign the Electoral Act Amendment bill as it will expose all electoral manipulations by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2019 general elections.

Speaking in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP said the President holds Nigeria to ransom by refusing to sign the bill recently passed by the National Assembly.

“President Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) are quavering because the draft law effectively checked all their machinations which they have been deploying in rigging past elections and intend to use in the 2019 general elections,” the statement reads.

“The amendment bill, which is in the overall interest of the nation, embattles President Buhari because it eliminates openings for major malpractices, including the use of underage and alien voters, vote buying, alteration of results and manipulation of voter register, which the APC intends to use to rig the 2019 elections.

“Such provisions include granting INEC powers to utilize Full Biometrics Accreditation of voters with smart card readers, which the Buhari Presidency and APC know will effectively check their reliance on dead, underage and alien voters, which they intend to use, particularly in the Presidential election.”

According to the main opposition party, the amendment bill “provides for Instant Transmission of Results from polling to collation centers, which ensures real-time results and reduces human interferences and election malpractices, thus effectively checking the alteration of results by the APC”.

“Furthermore, the Presidency and APC are against the provision that makes it mandatory for Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish voters register online, as such will end their usual manipulation of voter register ahead of elections.”

The PDP equally alleged that the Presidency and APC are also opposing the amendment bill because of a provision which restricts arbitrary qualifications for candidates and encourages younger aspirants, as they fear that such can jeopardize President Buhari’s chances within the APC.

“President Buhari knows that, having failed Nigerians in his first tenure, there is no way he can win in a free, fair and credible election, hence the desperation to manipulate the system and undermine our electoral laws.

“The PDP, therefore, calls on the National Assembly to override President Buhari since his refusal to sign the amendment bill is out of personal and partisan interest and not in the overall interest of the nation.

“Moreover, since it is clear that President Buhari is not ready for a free, fair and credible election, it is imperative that he is not allowed to drag the nation into unnecessary electoral controversies.

“This is especially as Nigerians have already reached a consensus to rally on the platform of the repositioned PDP to elect a new president with the competence and sincerity of purpose to return our nation to good governance, national cohesion and economic prosperity,” the statement added.