‘Less Delegates To Woo’– Bauchi Gov Praises Electoral Act 2022 After Meeting Buhari

The Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, has hailed the Electoral Act 2022, for the limit it places on the number of delegates to primary elections stating that he is happy wooing only few delegates in the current system.

Muhammed stated this on Wednesday when speaking with State House reporters after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.

The governor is vying for the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

He said the limit placed on the number of delegates only means that there will be few people involved in any primary election which is to the benefit of the aspirants who will have to woo only few people.

The 2022 Electoral Act in section 84(8) does not permit statutory delegates to vote at conventions to pick candidates of political parties.

The president, governors (current and past), and federal lawmakers (current and past) are some of the categories of people classified as statutory delegates.

The National Assembly few weeks ago amended the section after failing to do so in the earlier version but President Muhammadu Buhari has not signed that into law.

While both the All Progressives Congress and PDP were expected to have close to 15, 000 delegates combined, but have no such allowance in the new Act which limits delegates to 2340 each.

Muhammed praised the system when asked on Wednesday for his opinion. He said, “Well, I’m a realist. I believe that the electoral act is a product of the legislative process and that has been done and it was not done earlier.

“Then we have a timeline and guideline of INEC, so we’ll have to manage it.

“I think the less the merrier as somebody who is in the race. Well, I have less delegates to go and woo, it is better for me than all these 4,000, 5,000 delegates. Anyway, that is my take.”