‘Sign Electoral Amendment Bill Now’ – CUPP Tells Buhari

‘Sign Electoral Amendment Bill Now’ – CUPP Tells Buhari

The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has demanded the signing of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill transmitted to President Buhari by the National Assembly.

Spokesperson of the coalition, Mr Ikenga Ugochinyere, claims that the continued “refusal” of President Buhari to sign the bill into law is a deliberate attempt to rig the 2019 elections.

“It is now about 28 days since the National Assembly forwarded to the President and for the 4^th time, necessary amendments to the Electoral Act,” Ugochinyere said.

“The President has not signed the amendment, we are also sad to say this to you that there is intelligence that the President has agreed with his kitchen cabinet not to sign the amendment into law.

“We have been informed that after several undue delays, the President is set to communicate with the National Assembly any time from today that he will not be able to sign the agreement due to the existence of Article 2 of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and good governance which prohibits countries from making Electoral Act amendments less than six months to elections, unless there is consent of the political parties.

“However, all credible intelligence have revealed that after a damage control meeting in Abuja, key leaders of the ruling party including Abubakar Malami, Rotimi Amaechi, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Governor Yahaya Bello, Ahmed Lawan, Adams Oshiomhole, Governor El-rufai, Ganduje and a head of a security agency, have concluded and informed the president that the amendment should not be signed.

“The amendment, if signed into law, makes the use of the card readers statutory and the only instrument of accreditation, thereby permanently doing away with the incident forms”.

The coalition – which adopted the presidential candidate of the People Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar – therefore, called on all Nigerians to rise up and ensure that nobody is allowed to derail the coming general elections.