Shehu Sani supports CSOs protest of Buhari’s delay in signing electoral act bill

Senator Shehu Sani on Tuesday expressed support for mass protest by a coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) of the delay by President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the electoral act amendment bill into law. Shehu Sani speaking on ARISE Television’s programme, The Morning Show, on Tuesday, noted that the President has over the years declined assent to the electoral act amendment bill for various reasons. He said that people in government avoid laws that will make elections transparent, free, and fair. According to Shehu Sani, “doing so is to commit political suicide.”

Senator Sani observed that while the President continues to delay assent to the emended electoral act on the basis of having 30 days period, as stated by the President’s Media and Publicity adviser on Monday, civil society groups should proceed with mass protest to get the president to sign the bill since it is affecting the timetable for the 2023 general elections.

Civil society groups converged at the Freedom Park, Abuja, in the early hours of Tuesday for mass protest of the delay in assenting to the electoral act bill, demanding the president to assent to the bill in order to save democracy in Nigeria.

The protest on Tuesday is being participated by 26 civil society groups. The protesters displayed placards demanding “Buhari sign the electoral bill now”, among others.

The police and other paramilitary personnel were the protest venue, monitoring activities; no harassment of protesters was reported.

Leaders of the CSOs were addressing the protesters at the freedom park, Abuja, at the time of this report. The protest is monitored by National Daily from Lagos.