Dipo Olowookere
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The reworked Electoral Act Amendment Bill has finally been signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The controversial piece of legislation was signed into law on Friday by the President at the State House in Abuja after his two-day visit to Nasarawa State for the commissioning of projects.
Last year, the National Assembly passed the electoral bill and forwarded it to Mr Buhari for assent but he declined, noting that he was not comfortable with the clause which made it mandatory for political parties to use the direct mode of primary for selecting candidates for elective positions.
In an interview conducted by Channels Television and aired last month, President Buhari stated that he would sign the bill into law if the parliament makes changes to the clause.
After resuming from their vacations, the lawmakers reworked the bill, passed it and transmitted it to the President on January 31, though with the addition of another clause, which requires political office holders, who intend to run for another position to resign from office three months earlier.
This issue generated dust and it was rumoured that it was deliberately inserted to make Mr Buhari decline his assent again.
On Tuesday, some civil society organisations staged a protest in Abuja, asking the President to sign the bill into law without any further delay. This came a day after one of the spokespersons to Mr Buhari, Mr Femi Adesina, said his principal will sign the bill in a matter of hours, not days.
It was earlier speculated that he would sign it on Wednesday but was later shifted to Friday.
At a few minutes after 12 noon, Mr Buhari eventually signed the controversial bill into law at the Council Chamber of the Aso Villa in the presence of the Vice President, Mr Yemi Osinbajo; Senate President, Mr Ahmad Lawan, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, amongst others.
