Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike has said that President Muhammadu Buhari was afraid that giving assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill would make the All Progressives Congress (APC) to loose the 2023 general election.
Wike made the assertion at the inauguration of lecture halls, laboratories and offices of the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences of the Bayelsa Medical University in Yenagoa, last Saturday.
The governor pointed to the inclusion of compulsory transmission of election results electronically in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill as the APC’s greatest fear.
“They are afraid that if INEC in 2023 transmits election results electronically, that is the end of them, because they know they will fail.”
Wike wondered why the APC-controlled Federal Government always seeks excuses to justify their unwillingness to sign into law what would advance the country’s electoral process.
He explained that in 2019, the president declined assent because the compulsory use of the card reader was included, which was seen as capable of dimming their chances of winning the election.
Again, Wike noted that the president also recently declined assent on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill on the basis that the National Assembly included direct primaries, as well as the inclusion of a clause that a serving minister have to resign before being qualified to contest for election.
“Every time this government, this party will find an excuse of not signing an Electoral Act. In 2018 to…
