Buhari rejects electoral amendment bill, says parties must determine mode of primaries

This becomes the second time Mr Buhari is refusing to assent electoral amendment bill, following the first incident before the 2019 elections.

Ahmed Oluwasanjo • December 20, 2021

Ahmed Lawan and President Muhammadu Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has refused assent to the electoral amendment bill, citing direct primaries clause in the bill as one of the reasons for its rejection.

In a letter to Senate President Ahmed Lawan, THISDAY reported on Monday night how Mr Buhari cited “high cost of conducting direct primaries, the security challenge of monitoring the election, violation of citizens’ rights and marginalization of small political parties.”

This becomes the second time the president is refusing assent to electoral amendment bill, following the first incident before the 2019 elections.

Femi Adesina, the special adviser on media to Mr Buhari, had once said that electoral reform was not important for elections to be fair under Mr Buhari’s regime.

“So, his reputation as somebody who wants to leave clean elections for Nigeria has already been made whether the electoral act is signed or not. It doesn’t distract from that reputation,” Mr Adesina argued.

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