By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
A legal luminary, Professor Paul Ananaba has admonished the civil society organisations spoiling for a nationwide protests to force President Muhammadu Buhari to give his Assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill without further delay to hold their horses for now.
This is even as Professor Ananaba who is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) insists that President Buhari will Assent to the Bill in the next few days, adding that he does not think that he will renege on the promise he made on a national television that he will sign the Electoral Act Amendment Bill if the National Assembly incorporates the Direct, Indirect Primary and Consensus mode of primary elections.
Speaking on Channels Television breakfast programme Sunrise Daily on Monday, Professor
Ananaba who said he has the feeling that President Buhari will Assent to the much-awaited Bill very soon.
Said he: “I have the believe that Mr. President will sign the Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law soon. I will want Nigerians to give him the benefit of the doubts. I have the feeling that he will kept to the promise he made earlier on the Bill”.
The legal luminary therefore urged the civil society organisations planning for national protests beginning from Tuesday, February 22, 2022 to suspend the protests for now.
According to him: “I will like to advice against civil society groups staging protests as the window for the President to do the needful has not closed. Let the protests be put on hold until he fails to give his Assent to the Bill. In the event he fails to Assent then law suits and protests will kick in”.
Professor Ananaba also warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to be deceived that it can go ahead with some new innovations to improve the country’s electoral processes because the law courts will interpret the Constitution of Nigeria in the favour of any who goes to court to challenge the results.
Said he: “If INEC makes all the fine bye-laws to enhance electoral processes in Nigeria without any Bill to back it up, the Nigerian law courts will strike them down. They should be patient until the Bill which will back the innovations is signed into law by President Buhari”.
However, Dr. Sam Amadi, Director of Abuja School of Social and Political Thoughts, who also spoke on the topic: “Electoral Act Amendment: The Importance of Bill To Election Process in Nigeria”, disagreed with Professor Ananaba as he insists that INEC has been empowered by the Constitution to adopt any method it deemed fit to conduct elections in Nigeria.
According to the respected Public Affairs Analyst: “the Nigerian Constitution has given INEC the inherent powers to make laws to ensure Free, Fair and Credible Elections in Nigeria. I don’t.see why they should not”.
Asked if he believes that none Assent to the Bill by President Buhari can cause an unrest in the country and create fears of military takeover as seen in many West African countries in the recent time, Amadi posited that Nigeria is not exempted from political free-fall happening across West Africa sub-region.
Said he: “I blame the National Assembly for whatever happens to this Bill. Nigeria is not exempted from political free-fall happening across West Africa. We should be very careful. The greed of few individuals should not lead to the destabilization of the country “.
But Comrade Austin Aigbe, a Civil Society Activist has called on President Buhari to sign the Bill without further delay and should he have complaints or observations, he should send an Executive Bill to NASS for further Amendments.
