President Muhammadu Buhari has revealed conditions the National Assembly must fulfilled for him to sign the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
According to him, the National Assembly has to adjust the bill to allow for consensus candidates, indirect primary options as part of the mode of selecting a candidate for an election.
The National Assembly, in the initial bill submitted to Buhari, which he failed to sign, gave direct mode as the only option to conduct primaries by political parties.
But Buhari, in an exclusive interview with Channels Television’s Maupe Ogun and Seun Okinbaloye, which was aired on Wednesday said: “All I said (is that) there should be options. We must not insist that it has to be direct; it should be consensus and indirect.”
He assured that he would give his assent to the bill if the federal lawmakers effect the change in that direction.
“Yes, I will! I will sign (if the lawmakers effect the changes). There should be options, you can’t dictate to people and say you are doing democracy. Give them other options so they can make a choice,” he said.