Presidency says the reputation of President Muhammadu Buhari remains intact, either he signed the electoral amendment bill or not.
Gatekeepers News reports that the Special Adviser to the Nigeria’s President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, has said that whether or not the President Muhammadu Buhari assents to the electoral amendment bill, his reputation as a leader who bequeathed a “clean” electoral system to Nigeria remains.
Adesina also added that the President was consulting widely before deciding on the bill.
He said this during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
Adesina said, “You know, the reason adduced for not signing the previous one was because of the short time between the time it was brought and the time to the elections.
“There was a minimum time within which it should be brought. This bill has been brought in good time. And all I will say is that, as long as it will serve our democracy well, the President will do the needful.
“It could be because they had some sinister motives; some hidden hostile things in the previous bill which would have served their purpose. That one was not signed for legitimate reasons. For this one, there is enough time.
“You will find that one election after the other has been better under President Buhari. Under Buhari, the governing party has lost states, legislative seats and so many elections. It was not like that before. It used to be that the governing party won all the elections by hook or by crook. But not under President Buhari.
“So, his reputation as someone who wants to leave a clean electoral system for Nigerians has already been made. Whether the electoral bill is signed or not does not detract from that reputation.”
Adesina while talking on the progress of the bill, said, “What I can tell Nigerians is that the President is consulting widely and he will do what is best for the country.
“He has to consult with all stakeholders to arrive at a position that is best for Nigerians.
“That consultation is going on. Part of that consultation was the communication with INEC and other stakeholders that have also been reached for counsel.
“At the end of the day, the President is going to aggregate all of it and what’s best for the country is what he will do. We cannot preempt him. He will do it within the appropriate time.”
