Mix-up in National Assembly as Buhari refused to sign amended Electoral Act

The two chambers of the Nigerian National Assembly were on Tuesday thrown into complex mix-up over the refusal of President Muhammadu Buhari to sing the Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law. The federal legislators were thrown into the dilemma of resolving to veto the President and re-enact the law to become law without the consent of President Buhari or complying with the President’s observations and adjusting the grey areas that are generating controversies.

The Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2020 was communicated to President Buhari by the National Assembly in November after it was harmonized by both the upper and Lower Chambers. President Buhari in a letter, dated December 13, to the National Assembly, transmitted his decline to append his signature on the Act.

To veto the President, National Assembly would require two-third majority votes to re-enact the bill into law, after which it will require the signature of the President.

The Senate had gone into a closed-door session to consider the controversy, and thereafter, adjourned sitting to Wednesday.

The leaders of the two chambers of the National Assembly had at different times affirmed that the federal legislature would approve the requests of President Buhari, even at crucial moments that certain executive requests were perceived to be inimical to national interest. Will they deviate from that loyalty at this point?