Thirty one days after the Electoral Act Amendment Bill was transmitted to President Muhammadu Buhari by the National Assembly for assent, the Public is yet to know the situation concerning the Bill.
Speaking on this development, presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, said that, President Muhammadu Buhari is not legally bound to publicly declare his decision on the 2021 amendment Electoral Act Amendment Bill sent to him for assent a month ago.
The bill, transmitted from the National Assembly to the State House on November 19, exceeded its 30-day window for Mr Buhari to sign or withhold his assent to it, on Sunday.
As stipulated by Nigeria’s constitution, the president has a 30-day period to “signify” his decision on the proposed legislation.
As speculations continue to trail the proposed legislation, Mr Shehu, on Channels Television programme “Sunday Politics,” argued that the President owes no obligation to make his decision public despite the provision of the constitution.
Although the section of the constitution does not specify who the president should signify to within the stipulated days about his decision, many believe that Nigerians, who yearn for the provisions in the proposed bill, deserve to know.
The president’s spokesperson further argued that taking such a decision to the public without the knowledge of the National Assembly will amount to “unkind treatment of the lawmakers”.
According to him, “I’m not in a position to tell you, yes or no. But given the way things are done, the president would have completed his consultations some time back. The president would be communicating with the National Assembly on whatever he decides, either yes or no.”
He further stated that; “and as I said, it would be disrespectful of the National Assembly, for me at this time, to say this is the content of the president’s communication, assuming that the communication has been sent to them. So as I said, allow them to resume, I believe that the president will not act in breach of the Constitution. No, he will do what is right.”
“The constitution says the president must sign within 30 days, the constitution did not say that there should be the disclosure of that decision within 30 days to the public when the disclosure to the National Assembly has been made,” Mr Shehu said.
The lawmakers are expected to resume plenary on Tuesday and embark on the Christmas and New Year break soon after.
If any communication concerning the legislation has been sent to the NASS as suggested by Mr Shehu, the bill may not be considered until their resumption in 2022.