LEADERSHIP of the Northern Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) has expressed anger over President Muhammadu Buhari’s refusal to assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
In a statement, President of NYCN Isah Abubakar said Muhammadu Buhari should not allow himself to be caged.
“To say that we are seriously angry with this unpopular decision is an understatement. The only people who are happy with this infamous action of Mr President are the delegates that are waiting to rob aspirants and deny the people credible candidates.
“This will not be the first time Mr President will present himself as agent that is averse to democratic advancement,” he said.
He advised the president to resign if he could not guarantee safety of Nigerians during the direct primaries, which was one of his reasons for refusal to assent to the bill,
“If Mr President feels Nigeria is not safe for direct primaries, we wish to further buttress our call for him to resign and allow others with the capability to take over in order to suppress all insurgents that developed wings under the not-so-watchful eyes of President Buhari.”
Abubakar claimed that with the decision, Buhari would be remembered as the president who never stood by the majority of his citizens but allowed himself to be caged by a few elements who could not win election in their various units without rigging.
He criticised the president for declining assent to the electoral bill again after doing the same during the lifespan of the Eighth Assembly led by Bukola Saraki.
The ICIR reported that President Buhari declined assent to the bill, which was transmitted to him by the National Assembly for the fifth time. He blamed the inclusion of direct primary as the only means of conducting primary election as the reason for declining assent this time.
A reporter with the ICIR
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