2019: Political party lashes out at Buhari, following veto of Electoral Amendment bill; says president is afraid of losing election

macfranc007 March 15, 2018 IFTTT, Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Nigerian newspapers 24/7 Buchi Obichie

- The decision by President Buhari to veto the Electoral Amendment bill has been condemned by the United Progressives Party

- According to the party, the president took the decision because he is afraid that it would lead to his defeat in 2019

- It opined that the president would not have had such fears if he was confident that he had performed well so far

The United Progressives Party (UPP) has stated that President Muhammadu Buhari is afraid of losing the 2019 presidential election; and that was why he declined to assent to the Electoral Amendment bill sent to him by the National Assembly, Daily Trust reports.

The party made its comments in a statement released by its national chairman, Chekwas Okorie.

NAIJ.com gathers that the party stated that candidates of various political parties would be able to win elections on the basis of merit and popularity of their parties' manifesto, if the bill is signed into law.

The statement read in part: "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 benefiting from the bandwagon effect of a possible early victory if the presidential election came first.

"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."

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Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported that the National Assembly was restrained by the Abuja division of the Federal High Court, from taking further action on the Electoral Act (Amendment) bill, 2018, which President Muhammadu Buhari refused to assent to.

The court, presided over by Justice Ahmed Mmohammed, made its ruling on Wednesday, March 14, following the suit which was filed by the Accord Party.

Mohammed ordered all parties to maintain status quo antebellum, “at least between now and the next adjourned date.”

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