Electoral Act: CSOs Flay Buhari’s Ministers Shopping for Court Order to Delete Section 84

Emameh Gabriel in Abuja

Civil Society groups in Nigeria, under the aegis of Civil Society Partners on Electoral Reform (CiSPER), have accused some of President Muhammadu Buhari’s longest-serving ministers who want to contest elective office in 2023 of shopping for a court to help their cause in deleting Section 84(12) of the new Electoral Act recently rejected by the Senate.

The Senate had last week, in an overwhelming ‘no’ vote, threw away Buhari’s request to amend the controversial section, leaving some of his senior ministers wanting to contest in the next general elections in a tight corner.

Section 84 (12) of the Electoral Act 2022 act reads: “No political appointee at any level shall be a voting delegate or be voted for at the convention or congress of any political party for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for any election.”

CiSPER in a statement issued by the Executive Director, Adopt A Goal for Development Initiative, Ariyo-Dare Atoye, and endorsed by Centre for Liberty and Students Advocates for Development Initiative (YSAD), described the move as “an unconscionable forum shopping.”

They said: “We are glad that the National Assembly has rejected an attempt to personalise the law of the land to serve the interest of a few persons who want to avoid the political risk of resigning to contest elections.

“There is nothing altruistic or in the public interest about the request of Mr. President to amend the new act, other than the narrow self-serving interest of a few political appointees who want to eat their cake and have it.

“We are, however, unaware that after the Senate rejected the amendment sought by President Buhari to Section 84(12) of the new act, some top appointees, including Ministers, are forum shopping to achieve their Inordinate aim.

“It is quite disturbing that these persons who are among the longest-serving Ministers in Nigeria’s history could be stretching the privilege to serve the country out of over 200 million people too far.

“Section 84(12) seeks to create a level playing field for all aspirants, and it drastically reduces the undue advantage that statutory delegates automatically give to incumbent executive officeholders during party primaries.

“We urge President Buhari not to represent the amendment to the National Assembly because he has the prerogative to re-appoint any appointee who resigns but fails to win the APC primary,” the statement added.