The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has urged the National Assembly to defend democracy by invoking its veto powers and the amended Eletoral Act into law.
The CNPP, which claimed President Muhammadu Buhari was ill-advised by the enemies of democracy to withhold assent to the recently passed Electoral Act amendment by the National Assembly, declining assent to the bill was not in the interest of Nigeria’s democracy While reacting to the rejection of the amendments to the Electoral Act by the President, the CNPP in a statement by its Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu noted that no sacrifice was too much to save the country and the Nigerian democracy from nose-diving into a one party state.
“Those advising the President on the reordered electoral sequence must have deceived him that the amendment was targeted at his reelection.
In any case, is Nigeria not greater than any one man’s ambition? “The President should focus on conducting a free and fair election like the previous government, which conducted the election that brought him into office.
“The truth of the matter is that a President that has done well will be re-elected irrespective of the date the presidential election was conducted.
“Therefore, the unannounced fear of the Presidency that the amendment will adversely affect President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election is unfounded as the withholding of the President’s assent is not in his interest.
“The action is strongly portraying Mr. President as one who is not concerned about deepening democracy and has no interest in the credibility of elections after his tenure.
“We, therefore, urge the representatives of the people at the National Assembly to immediately invoke their constitutional powers and veto the President’s assent to move the country forward on the path of true democracy”, the CNPP said.
