President Buhari is said to have refused to sign the Electoral Bill

President Muhammadu Buhari has refused to sign the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, according to TheNation

This comes after his 30-day opportunity to sign the law expired last night.

Members of the National Assembly were locked in a series of meetings yesterday, December 19, to express their response to the claimed refusal of assent, according to The Nation.

Over the weekend, the President returned to the country after attending the third Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul, Turkey.

Following its delivery to the National Assembly on November 19, 2021, the President has 30 days to sign or withhold assent to the law. Despite the fact that the one-month window passed yesterday, lawyers claimed that the President had one more day of grace to make up for yesterday's work-free day.

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The President was urged by the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, to decline assent because the constitution is silent on the form of primary that parties should use, according to a source who told the outlet that Buhari accepted the recommendation.

Garba Shehu, President Buhari's Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, stated Wednesday that his boss has informed the National Assembly of his intentions on the bill.

Shehu refused to provide the contents of the document in an interview with Channels Television, claiming that he was not authorized to do so.

He stated:

"The president has informed the National Assembly of his intention, and the National Assembly will inform Nigerians of the president's decision in due course."

When asked whether the President's communication was yes or no, Shehu declined to answer the question and urged Nigerians to be calm, saying that any decision made by the President is in the country's best interests.

According to The Nation, some sources claim that the Senate purposefully delayed the ratification of the 2022 Budget to express legislators' discontent with the President's position on the direct primary clause.

Senators and representatives are dissatisfied with the President's delay in signing the measure, according to a senator who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

According to the lawmaker:

"The bill was driven by the President, notably the proposed act's retention of direct primary." As a result, it's surprising that he hasn't signed up yet, adding to the worry and confusion."

The senator stated that there was a unanimous feeling in the Upper Chamber that the ratification of next year's budget should be delayed until this week, emphasizing the opposition to the delayed assent.

Governor Nyesom Wike also stated on December 19 that he would not be surprised if the bill was not signed by the President. He insisted that the issue was not whether the primary was direct or indirect, but rather the electronic communication of the results.

Wike stated:

"It was very evident that the President would not sign." The issue was not whether the primary was direct or indirect, but rather how the results were transmitted electronically.

"The question here isn't whether the primary is direct or indirect. They only cited that as an excuse for Mr. President's refusal to sign the bill. Because of the bill's electronic transmission provision, I can guarantee you that the President will not sign it."

Debo Ologunagba, the PDP's Publicity Secretary, said the bill's inclusion of direct primary is objectionable and should be eliminated.

According to Ologunagba,

"The PDP does not support a single primary mode. This is a battle fought solely within the APC. That section of the Act should be eliminated because it is offensive. The PDP believes that a party's ability to select how to create candidates for any election is unalienable."

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