The National Assembly is planning to pass a manipulated copy of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill in a plenary scheduled for on the 8th of July, a coalition of 42 civil society organizations, on Monday, alleged.
But the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has said that presiding officers of both chambers of the National Assembly are not in any position to determine the outcome of amendments to the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill under consideration.
He spoke against the backdrop of insinuations and misgivings by some Nigerians that the leadership of the National Assembly was bent on accommodating contentious clauses in the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill presently before it, that would stop the transmission of election results electronically.
The CSOs on the aegis of Alliance of Civil Society Organisations for Expansion of Electoral and Democratic Space made the allegation in an emergency press briefing in Abuja.
The coalition of CSOs, speaking at a press conference in Abuja, through a former Chairman of Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, Mr Sam Amadi, alleged discrepancies between the approved version of the Bill and the alleged final copy where some key provisions have been allegedly manipulated.
His words, “The worst thing that anyone can do for the government and people of this country is to deliberately implant an electoral process that is not credible.
“In the alleged final copy, some key priority amendments were rejected by the leadership of the National Assembly as follows; the electronic transmission of results has been prohibited, the limits on campaign expenses have been increased, and the proposal empowering INEC to review the declaration of scores and return of candidates made by a Returning Officer under duress or contrary to the provisions of the law has been rejected.
“If it is passed, we would perceive it as an elite conspiracy to ensure Nigeria fails as a country.”
Alleging that the final copy was a forged document, another speaker at the conference, Dr. Tanko Yunusa, said the copy wasn’t representative of the peoples’ desires.
“We, therefore, consider it a forged document that must not be substituted for our legitimate demands. The National Assembly should give us an electoral law that will stand the test of time in promoting credible elections,” he said.
Rresponding to the call to exonerate himself and House Speaker, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, Lawan, peaking at the inauguration and swearing-in ceremony of the Chief Commissioner and Commissioners of the Public Complaints Commission in Abuja, disclosed that the upper chamber would consider the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill within the next two weeks upon presentation of a report by the Committee on INEC.
He, therefore, advised Nigerians to engage their representatives in both chambers of the National Assembly on whatever issues they feel strongly about in the bill.
Lawan said, “The National Assembly is embarking on the amendment of the Electoral Act, probably by next week or within the next two weeks.
“It is very important that those who feel very strongly about any amendment that they think should be effected in the Electoral Act should contact or talk to their members of the House of Representatives as well as Distinguished Senators.
“I want to state categorically here that presiding officers are not the ones to determine what is carried or what is not.
“So, it is very important that in the same way, the Public Complaints Commission is utilized properly by the general public.”