Sign Electoral Bill into law now, PDP NASS Caucus tells Buhari

 

.Raises alarm over plots to disrupt FCT elections

. Asks Police to deal with trouble makers

 

Favour Ishember, and Adekunle Adesuji

The National Assembly Caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP), has demanded for immediate signing of

re – amended 2010 Electoral Act ( Amendment ) Bill 2022 into law by President Muhammadu Buhari .

 

The PDP Lawmakers also berated All Progressives Congress ( APC ) for setting up 133- member campaign committee which include 16 serving governors in the country  for the forthcoming  Area Councils Election in FCT .

 

 

Request for quick signing of Electoral Bill was made by the Caucus during its meeting with members of Board of Trustees ( BOT) of the party at the Senate wing of the National Assembly after plenary on Tuesday.

 

 

Speaking during the meeting, Senate Minority Leader , Enyinnaya Abaribe said having bent backwards as requested by President Muhammadu Buhari on the earlier rejected electoral bill, the bill should be signed without any delay .

 

 

” The President in rejecting the earlier one transmitted to him in November last year , said indirect and consensus mode of primary elections were added to the new one as requested by President Buhari .

 

 

” Now that we have bent  backwards , no any excuse or reason should be given again . Provisions of the bill are very critical for expected credibility of the 2023 general elections ” , he said .

 

 

Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives , Hon Ndudi Elumelu alleged that  Governors on the platform of the All Progressives Congress , are lobbying the President not to sign the bill .

 

Elumelu said that any attempt not to sign the bill will be resisted by the PDP and  forward looking Nigerians generally because of other very important provisions in the bill like section 52 which deals with electronic transmission of election results .

 

 

” The plan of using mandayory direct primaries to scuttle the bill has failed because the National Assembly has widened the scope as requested for by the President.

 

 

” No any other unresolved issues or observations is left in the bill transmitted to the President on Monday this week .

 

 

“No more excuses , no more delay , it should be signed in the interest of credibility and sanctity of electoral process in the country”.

 

 

He went further to lampoon  the ruling party for constituting 133 – member campaign council for the forthcoming Area Councils Election in FCT.

 

 

According to him , rather than APC focusing on how to hold its severally  postponed   National Convention , is carrying hammer to kill ant by enlisting 16 serving governors , 12 serving Ministers and countless numbers of other public office holders at the federal level to militarize Area Council Election in FCT .

 

 

” This to us in PDP is laughable because throughout the 16 years we were in power at the centre , there was no time such a busy body campaign council was set up for FCT Area Council  election .

 

” Unfortunately for APC , the 133- member campaign council it set up , cannot deliver FCT for it because there is no way aliens or strangers in any place , will displace landlords”, he said .

 

Meanwhile, With few days to the Area Council’s elections in the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has raised the alarm over plots by some people to scuttle the forthcoming Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory.

 

 

 

Briefing Journalists in Abuja, the Director of Publicity, PDP Chairmanship candidate campaign for Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) Hon. Emmanuel Inyang, alleged that intelligence report has revealed that the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) was working to scuttle the success of the polls.

 

 

While calling on the Police and other relevant agencies of government to nip the brewing trouble on the bud, to avoid any violence that could disrupt the arrangement already made by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), he alleged that certain governors of the ruling party had been drafted into the sinister plot.

 

 

Inyang revealed that there are plans to import thugs from neighboring states of Niger, Nasarawa and Kogi, for the purpose of disrupting the February 12, polls.

 

 

Speaking further, he said that the relevant security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must act fast so as to gain the trust of residents and genuine electorates in the forthcoming election.

 

 

He expressed concern that should various relevant security agencies fail to stop the plot, residents and electorates may be scared away, thereby, recording a very low turnout on the day of elections.

 

 

Emmanuel Inyang alleged that plot to scuttle the success of the polls, follows the intra-party crises rocking the party which had put them at a disadvantage position.

 

 

He however, said that the FCT elections will serve as a litmus test for the off season elections and the 2023 general election, to be conducted by INEC.

 

“We are happy that FCT residents are really eager to vote.

 

“We are aware from security report reaching us that there are group of people planning to recruit thugs to ensure that on the day of election, after voting, people come in to disrupt the process.

 

“We want to plead with the security agencies to ensure that security is maintained on, before and after the elections.

 

“We don’t want anything that will bring the level of insecurity faced in other parts of the country to manifest in the Federal Capital Territory. We are happy with the security agencies haven’t kept the peace of this land and we want the peace to continue.

 

“President Muhammadu Buhari needs a legacy to take home. The legacy is to ensure that there is credibility in our elections. They should ensure that FCT election is free, fair and violence free, because we are aware that some persons have already planned that there will be violence on the day of election. We are appealing to Nigerians not to be intimidated by anybody. They should come out enmass and vote for the preferred candidate.”

 

 

Worried by the inability to present a Candidate in the February 12th Local Councils election, Inyang said” election is involved between a party and another party, election  is not just involved by an individual as a Party , it is very important that we know who we are going in to context with, as I speak to you now, we don’t know who we are going to this election with, as far as the APC is concerned.

 

” We know of other political parties who’s names have been published  but as I speak with you, that of APC is still blank and am saying that the Court is the last hope of Nigerians every body is watching and believing that, sooner or later, judgement will be delivered, let us know whom we are going in to context  with.

 

“It is important to us , we are not mingling in to their affairs,  but we need to know, because political parties must definitely present a candidate and PDP has presented their candidate in the person of Hon. Christ Zakka  Maikalangu we also want to know, who is the candidate of the other Party , it is important to us so that we now go in to camping knowing the person or personality we are contexting this election with. He said.

 

 

Also speaking, a House of Representatives member for AMAC/ Bwari constituencies, Hon. Jiba Micah said that no act of violence would be tolerated during and after the election.

 

Micah urged all stakeholders to comply with all the regulations already set by INEC to ensure that the elections were conducted according to international standard, upholding the tenets of democracy.,,