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 .
