The Independent National
Electoral Commission, INEC, has spoken on President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision
to withhold assent to the Electoral Act Amendment bill.
INEC said the electoral body
would not discuss the implications of the president’s action since the process
had not been concluded.
INEC’s Chief Press Secretary,
CPS, Rotimi Oyekanmi, said that the current dates for the 2019 general
elections were fixed in line with provisions of the existing law.
On the implications of the
president’s decision, Oyekanmi said, “It is within the powers of the National
Assembly to make laws.
“The 1999 constitution has also
clearly stated the process through which a bill enacted by the National
Assembly can metamorphose into a valid law.
“Part of the process is the
prerogative of the president to either give or withhold assent.
“While it is true that INEC made
recommendations to the National Assembly during the electoral law amendment
process, it is not in our place to begin to discuss the implications of a
process that is yet to be concluded.
“As for the re-ordering of the
election sequence, INEC fixed the dates for the 2019 general elections in
exercise of the powers conferred on it by Section 30 (1) of the Electoral Act
2010 (as amended).
“Remember that the tenure of the
President, Vice President, Governors and Deputy Governors of the states (except
Kogi, Bayelsa, Edo, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo and Anambra States) will expire on May
28, 2019, while membership of the National and State Assemblies will stand
dissolved on June 8, 2019.
“Sections 76 (2), 116 (2), 132
(2) and 178 (2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as
amended) and Section 25 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) state that
elections into the said offices shall hold not earlier than 150 days and not
later than 30 days before the expiration of the term of office of the last
holder.
“It was based on these
considerations among others that the commission on January 9 announced the
timetable and schedule for the 2019 general elections.”
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