Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has faulted President Muhammadu Buhari on his complaint that Section 84 (12) of the Electoral Act, 2022 would disenfranchise serving political officeholders, describing the position as selfish.
Wike stated that if President Buhari truly believed in transparency and a level playing ground, he would not suggest the amendment of the section which he alleged would disenfranchise serving political officeholders from voting or being voted for at political parties’ conventions.
Wike spoke in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, on Friday, in reaction to President Buhari’s assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
He said, “Mr President has told the world he is trying to protect some of his appointees who want to run election and who are afraid of leaving office knowing fully well that having left the office, it would be difficult for them to assert or to influence the outcome of party primaries.
“If Mr President really believes in free, fair and transparent election, and for everybody to have a level playing ground, Mr President will not call for such amendment.”
The governor observed that President Buhari was not willing to sign the Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law but succumbed to pressure mounted on him by Nigerians.
He said, “For whatever it is worth, let us say Nigerians are happy that after all said and done, the President and the APC administration for the first time have bowed to pressure of Nigerians in order to have a law that enables our electoral process to be transparent. But again, this tells you the kind of party in power.”