Less than 2 months to polls, again, Buhari returns Electoral Bill to NASS

With about two months to the 2019 general elections, President Muhammadu Buhari has again refused to sign the Electoral Bill into law, and has returned it to the National Assembly.

This was made known on Friday, raising more controversies, as the move is sure to generate more friction between the executive and the legislative arms of government, whose main grouse in the Bill is the order in which the elections should be held.

This makes it the fourth time President Buhari has withheld his assent to the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2018.

Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, disclosed this on Friday when he spoke with State House correspondents.

Buhari had cited errors in the drafting of the bill as reason for not assenting to it on the three previous occasions it was sent to him.

But speaking on Friday, Enang who said that the bill has been returned to the National Assembly, refused to state Buhari’s reasons for declining assent to the bill for the fourth time.

He meanwhile said that the President has signed the National Open University bill into law.

“President Muhammadu Buhari has taken decision on Electoral Act Amendment bill 2018. In accordance with his power under the 1999 Constitution and has communicated that decision to the Senate and House of Representatives in accordance with the law.

“Again, President Buhari has also assented to National Open University Amendment Act, which allows the National Open University to operate as all other universities, having the same power and functions and the same administrative structures eliminating possible discrimination as some use to want to have on its products and programmes.

Read also: Buhari has done nothing to seek re-election —Senate minority leader

“It has also allowed the establishment of some centers to be called study centers and given conditions for the establishment of such study centers,” he said,

When asked to be specific if the Electoral Act Amendment Bill was assented to or rejected, he said “The president has taken a decision in a accordance with the powers vested in him according to the constitution.

“And by convention that decision contained in the communication can only be revealed by the person to whom that decision is addressed to. But the electoral bill has left Mr. President because he has taken a decision and has remitted it back.”

Asked to make further clarification, Enang said, “Thank You very much but this is all the law allows me to say by convention. Mr. President has sent that communication to the National Assembly.”

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