Monitor urges Buhari to resist pressure on Electoral Act

The Election Monitor (EM) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari thoroughly check the 4th version of the Electoral Act (amendment) Bill 2018 before signing it into law.

The National Coordinator of the group, Mr. Abiodun Ajijola, said yesterday in Abuja that with less than 80 days to the 2019 general elections, President Buhari should also seek legal counsel on the implication of Clause 26 or Section 99(1) of the Electoral Act (amendment) Bill 2018 which speaks on “Limitation on Political Broadcast and Campaign Parties.”

According to him, in the Electoral Act 2010 as amended, this section provided for the period of campaigning in public by every political party to commence 90 days before polling day and end 24 hours to the commencement of an election day.

“However the Electoral Act (amendment) Bill 2018 has amended this subsection (1) with a new subsection(1) which provides for a period of campaigning in public by every political party to commence 150 days before polling day and end 24 hours to by Political the election day. If this is the case, then, according to the proposed new law political campaigns should be allowed to go on for 150 days.

“The challenge with this is that campaigns for presidential and National Assembly elections commenced on the 18th November 2018 while campaigning for the governorship, state Houses of Assembly and FCT Area Council elections are expected to commence on the 2nd December 2018. Adding150 days to these two dates would give dates of Wednesday, 17 April 2019 and Wednesday, 1 May 2019,” he said.