2023: Non-signing of Electoral Act by Buhari in favour of aspirants — PDP presidential aspirant

The withholding of assent by President Muhammadu Buhari to the amendment of the Electoral Act 2022 is in favor of political aspirants across the parties, so declares Bauchi Governor and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential aspirant, Bala Mohammed.

According to Mohammed, this will make him “have less delegate to woo, as somebody who is in the race.”

Speaking with State House correspondents after leading a delegation on a thank-you-visit to President Muhammadu Buhari, the governor noted that the process of amending the electoral act did not start in good time.

“Signing it now might go against the lndependent National Electoral Commission (INEC) guidelines for the 2023 elections,” he said.

Persecondnews reports some political parties had in recent times pressured Buhari to assent to the amendment to the current Section 84(8) which provides that delegates vote at the Indirect Primaries and National Convention of political parties to elect candidates for elections.

The implication is that statutory delegates such as elected political office holders, political appointees and executive officers of political parties are not eligible to vote at primaries to elect candidates for the 2023 general elections.

Reacting to the non-signing of the electoral act, he said: “Well, I’m a realist. I believe that the electoral Act is a product of legislative process and that has been done and it was not done earlier and then we have a timeline and guideline of INEC, so we will have to manage it.

“I think the less the merrier as somebody who is in the race. Well, I have less delegates to go and woo, it is better for me than all these 4,000, 5,000 delegates. Anyway, that is my take.”