The United Progressive Party (UPP) has expressed deep disappointment over President Muhammadu Buhari’s refusal to assent to the amendment of Electoral Act, stating that it smacks of fear of losing the 2019 general elections.
The UPP equally expressed dismay over the decline of assent to the Electoral Bill stating that the President may have allowed his disagreement with the order of elections which put presidential election last for the 2019 general elections and beyond to influence him.
“His withholding assent to this bill smacks of fear of losing the 2019 Presidential Election as well as the fear of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) not benefitting from the bandwagon eff ect of a possible early victory if the presidential election came first.
“The order of election as contained in the electoral bill will not only guarantee a sustained mass participation in the elections until the presidential election is conducted.
“It will also ensure that candidates of various political parties will win electionsessentially on their personal merit and the popularity of the manifesto of their political parties which will be canvassed in the campaigns leading to the elections”, the statement signed by the National Chairman, Dr. Chekwas Okorie said.
The party said the APC federal government has failed the people and is mischievously seeking a leeway to manipulate the electoral process, adding that this would be detrimental to the nation’s nascent democracy.
“If the APC and President Buhari were confident that the record of their performance was impressive as they have often claimed, there should be no reason why this fear should be expressed in the manner of withholding assent to a bill that holds very strong promise to deepen and develop our democracy”
