Electoral Act: Buhari Is Protecting Nigeria’s Democracy, Says Garba Shehu

Worried by the backlash from President Muhammadu Buhari’s refusal to assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, the Presidency, yesterday, said Buhari withheld assent to the bill because it failed to enhance and build on the nation’s democratic processes.

More instructively, the presidency also said another reason the president refused to sign it was because some of the provisions in the bill would benefit richer political parties like the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the disadvantage of poorer and smaller parties.

But the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have frowned at the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, over claims that it would cost INEC and 18 political parties about N500 billion to organise direct primaries.

The Presidency, in a release titled, “In Amending The Electoral Act, The Nation First, Always First For Mr President” and issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, stressed that the president wanted an electoral bill that would protect the interest of all Nigerians and not interest of APC as a party.

It further added that the president would do his best possible to protect the nation’s democracy, including withholding assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.

“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,” the statement stated.

However, the CSOs, in a statement yesterday by Ariyo-Dare Atoye Executive Director, Adopt A Goal Initiative; Executive Director Speak Out Africa Initiative, Kenneth Eze and The Convener, Raising New Voices Initiative, Jude Feranmi, while calling Malami a liar, said it would cost INEC and political parties less than N10 billion to organise direct primaries.

According to them, it was sad and shameful that the country had been brought this low to warrant an individual to use the exalted office of the AGF to propagate outright falsehood and undermine national interest.

The CSOs appealed to media organisations and platforms interviewing Malami to ask him to present a position paper or a financial document to substantiate his contrived claims that it would cost political parties and INEC hundreds of billions of naira to organise direct primaries.

“We consider it a public service to respond to the disingenuous claims and mischievous reasons for the executive veto of the amended electoral bill made by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.

“As concerned CSOs, we are throwing up a challenge to the AGF that it would cost both INEC and the 18 political parties less than 20 billion to organise direct primaries if it becomes the law. We demand an open debate with the AGF, either directly or through his representatives on this subject matter.

“The statement credited to Malami in the phone-in programme on Radio Kano may have exposed him as the author and propagandist behind the phantom 500 billion costs of organising direct primaries.

“We ask, is the AGF pandering to the interest of a few governors on the direct primaries so that they can allow his ‘consultants’ to have their way on the controversial $418m Paris Club refund? We would instead advise Malami to have a change of heart and ensure that the country is not defrauded through over-inflated fees.

“On the issue of security concern cited by the President, which was likely based on the AGF’s advisory, we want to alert Nigerians to the danger and contrivance of using the country’s inability to conduct direct primaries in 8809 (direct primaries) to justify why elections cannot hold in 176,846 polling units in 2023.

“Bear in mind that the security situation in the country is likely to worsen ahead of the general election. Mr. Malami, who has repeatedly shown a high degree of myopism pursuing narrow interests in the discharge of his responsibility, can no longer be trusted to speak for the generality of Nigerians.

“Let it be on record that the AGF is doing the President a serious disservice, pretending that Gen. Buhari does not care about legacy and would not be judge by posterity and history.”