Rejecting Electoral Bill will Destroy Free, Fair Elections, CUPP Tells Buhari

Martins Ifijeh

The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has stated that the last-minute rejection of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill by President Muhammadu Buhari will destroy the chances of a credible, free and fair election in Nigeria.

It said the decision by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government to withhold assent to the bill is an indication that it was afraid of losing the 2019 general election.

In a statement made available to THISDAY yesterday and signed by the First National Spokesperson of CUPP, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, the body said it recently raised an alarm following credible information that President Buhari was under immense pressure from leaders of the APC not to sign the Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law.

Ugochinyere said President Buhari and the APC were scared of the compulsory use of card readers for accreditation and transmission of election results, which the new electoral law provides for, adding that CUPP was sad to report that the president has succumbed to the pressure.

“The Osun State governorship lection is just a few days away and we have been told there is nothing that could have made the president to sign the Amended Electoral Act which will open the window for the people of the state to vote out the abysmally performing government of APC. The undue advantage of winning Osun State, which has a close relationship with the national leader of the APC as the party’s candidate and the mortal fear of losing the presidential election next year, has made President Buhari so desperate and this is very dangerous for our country and democracy.

“All lovers of democracy are hereby put on notice that the president and the APC have concluded plans to massively rig the September 22 Osun State governorship election through snatching of result sheets, vote buying and manipulation of the entire process,” he alleged.