President Muhammadu Buhari says he withheld assent to the 2021 Electoral Act Amendment Bill because of the huge financial burden on political parties, INEC, and security agencies.
In a letter read by Senate President Ahmad Lawan at Tuesday’s plenary, Buhari specifically noted that using the direct mode of primaries to determine election candidates will have a huge financial impact on political parties.
He said adopting direct primaries could also stifle smaller political parties, lead to a spike in the cost of monitoring such exercises for INEC, as well as overstretch the police, especially with the current security challenges rocking parts of the country.
The President also noted that forcing political parties to agree on how to get candidates Is a violation of democratic norms as well as a human rights infringement.
Buhari added that direct primaries can give rise to vote-buying, which can put serious strains on the pockets of politicians.
The fate of the 2021 Electoral Act Amendment Bill now lies with the National Assembly as the lawmakers are poised to make a decision on the matter as President Muhammadu Buhari returns the bill to them.
