A Former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega has cautioned that the National Assembly should not override President Muhammadu Buhari over the stalemate on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
Jega said this on Sunday night in Abuja during a Citizens’ Town Hall meeting on Electoral Bill 2021 organised by Yiaga Africa and development partners. He encouraged the President and the National Assembly to pass the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2021, immediately, as the passage of the bill would improve the integrity of elections in Nigeria. The former INEC Chairman asked the Buhari administration to do everything within its power to ensure that Nigeria goes into the next elections with a new bill.
“This country will be better off if we go into the next election with a new electoral law which will enhance the integrity of the preparations and conduct of the elections”
According to him since 2010, the country have not had any substantive improvement on electoral laws, while in the 2021 Electoral Bill, there are a lot of substantive things.
“Any governor that manipulates direct primaries can also manipulate the primaries indirectly,” Jega added.
The Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, Sunday, while declaring the position of the 36 State Governors said they are not afraid of direct primaries as alleged by some Nigerians.
Sule said what they opposed was limiting the choices of the people.
“In the APC constitution, we have three options: consensus, direct primaries and indirect primaries.
“The option should be left open and it will not be a surprise that some parties may even adopt direct primaries,”
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