Dogara fears Buhari’s stand on Electoral Act may affect 2019 elections

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara, has expressed fears over the refusal of President Muhammadu Buhari to append his signature to the Electoral Amendment Bill sent to him.

Sequel to the failure of President Buhari to assent to the Bill passed by the National Assembly three times, Dogara warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Police that Nigerians would accept nothing short of complete openness, a level playing ground and strict adherence to extant Laws in the conduct of the 2019 elections.

He also noted that the palpable fears of well-meaning Nigerians and the international community of the possibility of some forces working to manipulate the coming elections by exploiting the identified loopholes in the current Electoral Act, may become a reality if proactive steps are not taken by critical stakeholders.

In a speech to mark the resumption of the House from the Christmas and New Year break delivered on the floor of the House of Representatives on Thursday, the Speaker said the National Assembly has done its possible best to deepen the nation’s democratic process by providing mechanisms that would guarantee successful and rancour-free elections by passing the Electoral Act Amendment Bill for the third time after the President had declined assent to it twice, meaning that the impending general elections will not benefit from the innovative mechanisms crafted in its collaboration with international and development partners.

The Speaker stated, “It should remain a thing of pride for us that the National Assembly has done its best by taking steps to guarantee the successful and rancour-free conduct of the 2019 General Elections by passing the Electoral Act Amendment Bill for the third time after Mr President had declined assent to it twice. Lack of passage into Law of the amended Bill means that the impending General Elections will not benefit from the innovative mechanisms crafted in its collaboration with international and Development partners.

“Consequently, the palpable fears of well-meaning Nigerians and the international community of the possibility of some forces working to manipulate the coming elections by exploiting the identified loopholes in the current Electoral Act, may become a reality if proactive steps are not taken by critical stakeholders.

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“Hon. Members, I believe that our intention to improve on the successes of the 2015 General Election through the Amendment Bill, is very clear to all fair-minded Nigerians. The spate of serious allegations by stakeholders, corroborated by some Press reports against INEC and the Nigerian Police in the recent elections, which are already subjects of litigations, are some of the factors that gave rise to public apprehension on the success of the coming General Elections.

“We had intended, through this Bill, to minimise the risk to the survival of our hard-won democracy through responsive and timely legislation aimed at ensuring free, fair and transparent elections. Nonetheless, as Parliament, we have done our best to guarantee the stability and growth of our fragile democracy, and I have no doubt that history will be very kind to us.

“Under the present circumstance, we have no choice than to take INEC and the Police by their words and give them the benefit of doubt in their recent assurances to be impartial, efficient and truthful in the conduct of the coming elections. This is the minimum that the country deserves from them at this auspicious time. Nothing short of complete openness, a level playing ground and strict adherence to extant Laws will be acceptable to Nigerians.”
Hon Dogara also called on the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Muhammadu Buhari, to take a hard look at Nigeria’s national security architecture with a view to securing lives, national pride and prestige and to fight against unbridled violence.

“We are all witnesses to the continuous deteriorating security situation in our country more especially in the North East, North West and some parts of the North Central. Only three days ago, scores of people were killed in Sokoto State and elsewhere,” he stated, adding, that hardly does any week pass without reports of mass killings and bloodletting, either by terrorists or armed bandits”.

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