‘Buhari is protecting Nigeria’s democracy by declining assent to the electoral bill’ – Garba Shehu revealed
Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari, Garba Shehu
has said that his principal refused assenting the Electoral Act
(Amendment) Bill 2021 because he is protecting Nigeria’s democracy.
Shehu claimed the proposed amendments entail significant legal,
financial, economic and security consequences for all Nigerians,
principal among which would be a severe spike in the cost of holding
primary elections by parties, integral to democracies the world over.
He also stated that there’s nothing new about “the usual
voices making themselves heard with cynical claims of election rigging
and so on”, as it would be heard again in 2023.
The statement read:
In Amending The Electoral Act, The Nation First, Always First For Mr. President
The President’s decision to withhold assent from the Electoral
Act (Amendment) Bill 2021 has come under scrutiny from media and
political circles.
This is quite correct because it is a decision that will impact all
Nigerians. The President’s Office has decided, therefore, to issue an
official statement to make its position clear.Nigeria’s strength as a nation and its status as one of the
wealthiest economies in Africa with one of its highest standards of
living owes above all to its proud democratic processes, which are
enshrined in the Electoral Act of 2010.It is this act which the new bill seeks to amend. These
amendments have been presented as a means to enhance and build upon our
democratic processes. After careful review, the President’s Office has
found that the opposite is true.Rather, the proposed amendments entail significant legal,
financial, economic and security consequences for all Nigerians,
principal among which would be a severe spike in the cost of holding
primary elections by parties – integral to democracies the world over.And who would shoulder these costs? The Nigerian taxpayer of
course, and who would benefit? Only the richest of political parties. At
a time when the nation is seeking to extricate itself from the economic
mire of the worst global health crisis in living memory, whatever other
merits the new bill may have, now is not the time for such frivolous
spending of public money.Inevitably, the usual voices are making themselves heard, with
cynical claims of election rigging and so on. This is nothing new. We
heard their self-serving cries of fraud in 2015, when we saw the first
peaceful transfer of power in independent Nigeria’s history. Then again
in 2019, when President Buhari was re-elected with a lead of over three
million. We will hear them again in 2023.Until then, the President will do whatever he can to protect this
county’s democracy, and that includes withholding assent from this
Bill. It is worth noting that, as one of Nigeria’s largest political
parties, the ruling APC is one of those that stand to benefit from a
bill that favours wealthier parties. But it is not the job of this
government to protect the APC. It is the job of this government to
protect Nigeria, her people and her democracy.To those that would rather that limited public funds be spent on
politicking during this time of global crisis, we say: cease these
cynical games. Tell the Nigerian people openly what you want. Put your –
or rather their – money where your mouth is.
