The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has decried President Muhammadu Buhari’s delay in signing the Electoral Act Amendment Bill passed by the National Assembly, describing it as a ploy by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to perpetuate itself in power.
Addressing a world press conference in Abuja, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Debo Ologunagba, said the delay in signing the Bill could lead to violence and humanitarian crisis capable of affecting the West African sub-region.
Ologunagba said Buhari and the APC administration are “heightening apprehension across the country and orchestrating a constitutional impasse that can railroad our democracy into an emergency tenure elongation”.
The party spokesman said the “widespread restiveness with consequential violence, bloodletting and attendant humanitarian crisis in the country that may affect the entire West Africa subregion, Europe, America and other parts of the world if not addressed.
“This is because Nigerians, especially the youths have become more politically aware and involved, with a well-founded and implacable aversion to injustice, oppression, manipulations and undemocratic tendencies as being witnessed under the APC administration. Evidence of this mood became manifest in the EndSARS protest of October 2020.”
“Unelected cabinet ministers, advisers and other top government functionaries with ambitions for presidential, governorship and other elective positions are mounting pressure on President Buhari not to sign the Electoral Act Amendment Bill to enable them to remain longer in office so as to continue to use public funds to corruptly pursue their personal political interests.
“President Buhari who claims to be fighting corruption is condoning and encouraging this inordinate access to public funds in pursuit of private ambitions. The only way Mr. President can extricate himself is to sign the Electoral Act Amendment Bill immediately.”