Edo PDP Chieftain, Iyasere Speaks on Electoral Bill, Others.
A former PDP Publicity Secretary in Edo State who then doubled as a member of the Presidential Committee on Peace and Conflict Resolution in the Niger-Delta and Chairman, Edo State Committee on Peace and Conflict Resolution and immediate past member of PDP South-South EXCO, Prince Francis Omo-Osunde Iyasere, has added his voice to the growing issue e of the Electoral Bill that was recently declined assent by President Buhari.
Read more Iyasere, Old War Horse Speaks With Elempe on Edo PDP Crisis
Dr. Prince Francis Omo-Osunde Iyasere who spoke with our correspondent yesterday said it was unfortunate that Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari would decline to sign one of the most propulsive elements of democracy into law using the Direct Primaries as a flimsy excuse for his ill-advised action.
Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari had withheld assent to the Electoral Bill in a letter that was sent to both chambers of the National Assembly. In the letter, the President said he would not sign the bill because of the mandatory direct primaries. He further stated eight disadvantages of mandatory direct primaries which included legal, financial, and security concerns.
As part of his interview with our correspondent, Iyasere said the National Assembly has two options which include overriding the president or removing the disputed direct primary clause and then returning the bill to the President for assent, and that the National Assembly must not do away totally with the much-anticipated bill by the Nigerian people who have grown disenchanted by the foot-dragging over the bill.
“I can’t continue to process the thoughts why Mr. President would decline to assent his signature on this major development in our democratic process. The Electoral Bill, if signed into law, would be one of his major achievements and legacy in his 8 years in power because nothing much of development has been recorded in his almost 6 years. Without mincing words, since 2015 when he came into power, the country has been on reverse gear sending us all into destitution. Inflation is almost on daily basis, security is almost non-existent and the economy is without direction.
“The truth is, what this APC-led government is doing is what I call ‘tactical decoy.’ The target is not Direct Primaries because even Mr. President is a product of it, their target is the electronic transmission of election results, which they opposed Abi initio. The APC-led administration, including the National Assembly where they are the majority, are not sincere on this issue. If the APC has been using direct primaries in their elections, including the one that brought Buhari in 2019, what has suddenly changed? Why are they just now realizing the drawbacks in these same direct primaries? The party knows it has done badly in terms of performance and would be defeated by PDP come 2023 hence the fear to allow for a free and fair election which the electronic transmission of results would ensure. Nothing will come out from the ground-standing of both the Senate President and the Speaker as they are creations of the APC-led administration. Can they bite the hand that fed them? They claimed they collected signatures on the matter and were visited by Governors including the Party’s Caretaker Committee Chairman, what came out of it?
“The plain truth is APC is anti-people, they do not wish the best for the citizens of the country. The inclusion of the direct primaries into the Electoral Bill is a deliberate attempt to use it as a way to put a clog on the passage of the entire bill.
“What I suggest for the National Assembly to do are; now that Mr. President has declined to assent the bill, the National Assembly must act fast on behalf of millions of Nigerians who have been yearning for this bill. This is because we cannot sit back and allow one disputed clause to throw away all the good sides in the proposed Electoral Act (amendment) Bill. It is either they veto the president’s decline of assent or remove that part on direct primaries and send it back to the president for his assent. And this must be done within the shortest possible time so that in January or so, Nigerians will have a new Electoral law as 2023 is near.
“Anyone that has been following the yearnings of the people will know that they desire to have a new electoral law that will galvanize credible, free, fair, and peaceful process of electing our leaders going forward. The people want a system that will ensure that their votes truly count in the election of those who govern them. And for this reason, the elected representatives of the Nigerian people must take either decision in the interest of our country and how it will affect democracy in the long run. The option of not doing anything after the refusal of the assent by the President cannot be seen to be a palatable option in my own opinion. This proposed electoral law is expected to reassure the youths, who form the bulk of the nation, who steer clear of the political process because they have no confidence and chance in the system that they know is skewed against them.
“The only way to bring this active youth into the mainstream political system is to enact a new law that will give them confidence in the system, and the Electoral Act [Amendment] Bill will be able to serve that purpose.
“On this basis, our elected legislators in both chambers of the National Assembly and Mr. President must ensure that it becomes a law without delay as it will be one of the legacies of both.”
Dr. Iyasere also advised that Nigerians should make use of the window of opportunity provided by the new INEC registration and the PDP e-registration. He said PDP is the only party that can rescue Nigeria from the quagmire APC has put them in the last harrowing 6 years. Francis Omo-Osunde Iyasere has added his voice to the growing issue of the Electoral Bill that was recently declined assent by President Buhari.
Dr. Prince Francis Omo-Osunde Iyasere who spoke with our correspondent yesterday said it was unfortunate that the president would decline to sign one of the most propulsive elements of democracy into law using the Direct Primaries as a flimsy excuse for his ill-advised action.
The President had withheld assent to the Electoral Bill in a letter which was sent to both chambers of the National Assembly. In the letter, the President said he would not sign the bill because of the mandatory direct primaries. He further stated eight disadvantages of mandatory direct primaries which included legal, financial, and security concerns.
As part of his interview with our correspondent, Iyasere said the National Assembly has two options which include overriding the president or removing the disputed direct primary clause and then returning the bill to the President for assent, and that the National Assembly must not do away totally with the much-anticipated bill by the Nigerian people who have grown disenchanted by the foot-dragging over the bill.
“I can’t continue to process the thoughts why Mr. President would decline to assent his signature on this major development in our democratic process. The Electoral Bill, if signed into law, would be one of his major achievements and legacy in his 8 years in power because nothing much of development has been recorded in his almost 6 years. Without mincing words, since 2015 when he came into power, the country has been on reverse gear sending us all into destitution. Inflation is almost on daily basis, security is almost non-existent and the economy is without direction.
“The truth is, what this APC-led government is doing is what I call ‘tactical decoy.’ The target is not Direct Primaries because even Mr. President is a product of it, their target is the electronic transmission of election results, which they opposed ab initio. The APC-led administration, including the National Assembly where they are the majority, are not sincere on this issue. If the APC has been using direct primaries in their elections, including the one that brought Buhari in 2019, what has suddenly changed? Why are they just now realizing the drawbacks in these same direct primaries? The party knows it has done badly in terms of performance and would be defeated by PDP come 2023 hence the fear to allow for a free and fair election which the electronic transmission of results would ensure. Nothing will come out from the ground-standing of both the Senate President and the Speaker as they are creations of the APC-led administration. Can they bite the hand that fed them? They claimed they collected signatures on the matter and were visited by Governors including the Party’s Caretaker Committee Chairman, what came out of it?
“The plain truth is APC is anti-people, they do not wish the best for the citizens of the country. The inclusion of the direct primaries into the Electoral Bill is a deliberate attempt to use it as a way to put a clog on the passage of the entire bill.
“What I suggest for the National Assembly to do are; now that Mr. President has declined to assent the bill, the National Assembly must act fast on behalf of millions of Nigerians who have been yearning for this bill. This is because we cannot sit back and allow one disputed clause to throw away all the good sides in the proposed Electoral Act [amendment] Bill. It is either they veto the president’s decline of assent or remove that part on direct primaries and send it back to the president for his assent. And this must be done within the shortest possible time so that in January or so, Nigerians will have a new Electoral law as 2023 is near.
“Anyone that has been following the yearnings of the people will know that they desire to have a new electoral law that will galvanize credible, free, fair, and peaceful process of electing our leaders going forward. The people want a system that will ensure that their votes truly count in the election of those who govern them. And for this reason, the elected representatives of the Nigerian people must take either decision in the interest of our country and how it will affect democracy in the long run. The option of not doing anything after the refusal of the assent by the President cannot be seen to be a palatable option in my own opinion. This proposed electoral law is expected to reassure the youths, who form the bulk of the nation, who steer clear of the political process because they have no confidence and chance in the system that they know is skewed against them.
“The only way to bring this active youth into the mainstream political system is to enact a new law that will give them confidence in the system, and the Electoral Act [Amendment] Bill will be able to serve that purpose.
“On this basis, our elected legislators in both chambers of the National Assembly and Mr. President must ensure that it becomes a law without delay as it will be one of the legacies of both.”
