President Muhammadu Buhari has for the fourth time declined assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2018 passed by the National Assembly. Addressing State House correspondents on Friday in Abuja, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly (Senate), Mr. Ita Enang, said the President had communicated his decisions on the Electoral Act amendments to the leadership of the two chambers of the National Assembly.
“President Muhammadu Buhari has taken decision on Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2018 in accordance with his power under the 1999 Constitution and has communicated that decision to the Senate and
House of Representatives in accordance with the Law,” he said.
He said by convention, decisions contained in the President’s letter “can only be revealed by the persons to whom the letter was addressed.”
“The Electoral Bill has left Mr. President because he has taken a decision and has remitted it back. This is all the Law allows me to say by convention. Mr. President has sent that communication to the
National Assembly.”
When asked about the implication of the decision on the 2019 elections, the presidential aide said: “The implication of the decision is that the President has taken action on the Bill within the
time allowed by Law.”
Enang said the President Buhari, however, assented to the amendment made to the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) Act. He said with the assent, “NOUN can now operate like other conventional universities.”
“President Buhari has also assented to National Open University Amendment Act, which allows the National Open University to operate as all other universities, having the same power and functions and the same administrative structures eliminating possible discrimination as some use to want to have on its products and programmes. It has also allowed the establishment of some centres to be called Study Centres and given conditions for the establishment of such Study Centres.”
