Electoral Amendment Bill: Buhari Is Afraid of Defeat in 2019 — Mike Ozekhome, SAN

Mike Ozekhome, Constitutional lawyer and Senior Advocate of
Nigeria, SAN, says President Muhammadu Buhari is afraid of imminent
defeat in 2019 presidential election, hence his reason for refusing
assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.

Buhari had for the third time withheld his assent to the
bill.

Buhari in a letter transmitted to the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Yakubu Dogara dated December 6, 2018, explained
that passing the bill could cause “some uncertainty about the
applicable legislation to govern the process.”

This has attracted a lot of criticisms from many quarters,
including the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the Coalition of
United Political Parties, CUPP, amongst others.

Ozekhome, speaking on the development, pointed out that Buhari
by refusing to sign the Electoral Act Amendment Bill is to provide
a suitable environment to enhance electoral manipulation to pave
way for his re-election.

He, however, called on both Houses of parliament, the National
Assembly to muster 2/3 majority votes to override the President
under section 58 of the 1999 Constitution.

Speaking with Vanguard, he said, “Buhari is obviously afraid not
just of defeat, but of routing in the next presidential
election.

“His refusal is an unveiled and desperate attempt to foist on
Nigerians, the grand electoral fraud and larceny of bazaar votes we
witnessed in the North West, especially in Kano in 2015.

“Recall that the then Kano Independent National Electoral
Commission, INEC, Returning Officer was burnt to death with his
entire family as soon as the results were announced. Till date, no
arrest has ever been made of the culprits who annihilated an entire
family just so that a person will have power.

“That desperation has been lampooned again and again by Aisha,
his very wife. The amendments were aimed at sanitizing and
deodorizing the electoral process, enthrone integrity in
it,transmit results automatically from the polling units to the
announcement centres after parties representatives have signed and
endorsed. This prevents rigging, especially after-count rigging,
when declared results are brazenly altered.

“How can any genuine democrat ever be against such auspicious
amendments, if not for sinister purposes? All hope is not lost.

“The simple answer is for both Houses of parliament, the
National Assembly to muster 2/3 majority votes to override the
President under section 58 of the 1999 Constitution.”

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