Sign Electoral Amendment Bill now, Atiku, Ezekwesili tell Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari is under intense pressure to sign the controversial Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill into law.

Presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar and the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) Mrs. Obiageli Ezekwesili yesterday joined those urging the President to have a rethink on his decision not to sign the document.

Both candidates spoke at the secretariat of the Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar National Peace Committee (NPC) in Abuja after signing the pact for all presidential candidates to make the 2019 hitch-free.

President Buhari last Friday returned the bill to the National Assembly without appending his signature. He told the lawmakers that his decision was in the best national interest.

It was the fourth time the President would return the bill after its passage by the Senate and the House of Representatives over what he observed as fundamental flaws.

House of Representatives Majority Leader Femi Gbajabiamila blamed the flaws in the bill on the National Assembly’s legal department.

To Atiku and Mrs. Ezekwesili, the President will be demonstrating his sincerity to conducting free and fair elections next year by signing the bill.

Atiku, a former vice president, expressed concern about the forthcoming elections, adding that the only way to ensure a free and fair polls is for the government to be fair to all political parties and stakeholders.

The PDP candidate vowed to play by the rules and remain committed to free, fair and credible elections.

His words: “We are committed to free, peaceful, fair and credible elections and we have always said that and we believe in that. I am a democrat. I was never converted. I fought the military to return this country to a democracy.

“However, the best way to guarantee peace in any election or any human interaction is to ensure manifest justice to all concerned.

“I am delighted that President Muhammadu Buhari has agreed to sign this peace accord. But we want to appeal to him to also sign the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill. Mr. President needs to understand that as long as he refuses to sign this bill, we will have doubts that this government is thoroughly committed to free, fair and credible elections.”

Gen. Abdulsalami apologised on behalf of the main opposition PDP for being absent at the Tuesday signing of the peace pact, stressing the commitment of everyone to the peaceful conduct of elections in 2019.

He said: “We are here to sign the peace accord. I must apologise for the PDP for not being able to attend that ceremony. In order to counter the saying that the PDP boycotted this signing of the peace accord, I spoke to the PDP presidential candidate and party officials in order to disabuse the minds of our people and to make Nigerians aware that everybody involved in this project cares for peace and wants a peaceful election.

“It was not only PDP that was not there yesterday (Tuesday). One or two parties were also not there.”

PDP’s National Chairman Uche Secondus also signed a portion of the peace accord document.

Mrs Ezekwesili, after signing the pact, urged President Buhari to sign the Electoral Amendment Bill without delay.

At the ceremony was the Deputy Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Richard Young.

Dr. Ezekwesili said the President cannot rush to sign the peace accord and still refuse to sign the Electoral Amendment Bill 2018.

She said: “The first thing that the President needs to do in order to build trust among all candidates is to sign the Electoral Amendment Bill 2018 into an Act.

“Because he has not done that, I find it very strange that he quickly was at the event yesterday (Tuesday) to sign the peace accord.

“It is contradictory. He needs to be exemplary in all the things that he does. He cannot confuse the system by taking one measure that mill out another measure. That is not the way to go,” the former Education minister said.

On why she did not sign the agreement on Tuesday, Mrs. Ezekwesili said there was no communication and could not have been at an event when she had no communication.

Speaking earlier, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah apologised for the inability of some candidates to sign the agreement on Tuesday, even as he maintained that the NPC had at its disposal, documentary evidence of the invitation of all candidates.

Read also: Southwest: Buhari and lessons from Tinubu, Ambode by Shettima

He said: “Our doors are open and we are really very sorry for whatever may have happened, but we have documentary evidence that we did send out our communication to the offices of all the 91 political parties and we have evidence that our correspondences were received.”

The peace accord document, read by the Director of the Kukah Centre, Fr. Atta Barkindo, stipulates that political parties pledge to run issue-based campaigns at national, state and local government levels.

“In this, we have pledged to refrain from campaigns that will involve religious incitement, ethnic or tribal profiling, both by ourselves and by all agents acting in their names; party, any public statements, pronouncements, declarations or speeches that have the capacity to incite any form of violence, before, during and after the elections.”

It reads in part: “We, the undersigned presidential candidates of the under-Iisted political parties for the forthcoming elections in February 2019 have attended a one-day Conference in Abuja under the auspices of the NPC.

“In the course of the Conference, we listened and discussed extensively on the need to ensure that we politicians create a favourable and conducive environment for the conduct of free, fair and credible elections in 2019.

“Furthermore, we discussed the theme of Trust as a key ingredient in the conduct of our affairs. In the end, we have resolved to adopt the same principles that guided the very successful 2015 elections and therefore commit ourselves to the following;

“To commit ourselves and political parties to the monitoring of the adherence to this Accord by a National Peace Committee made up of respected statesmen and women, traditional and religious leaders.

“To support all institutions of government, including INEC and the security agencies, to act and be seen to act with impartiality

“To forcefully and publicly speak out against provocative utterances and oppose all acts of electoral violence whether perpetuated by our supporters and/or opponents.”