- Urge National Assembly to override President
The Leadership of the Northern Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) has flayed the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to refuse signing the Amended Electoral Bill into Law.
“If Mr President feels Nigeria is not safe for direct primaries, we wish to further buttress our call for him to resign and allow others with the capability to take over in order to suppress all insurgents that developed wings under the not-so-watchful eyes of President Buhari,” they said.
The youths said that with this unpopular decision, President Buhari will be remembered as the President who never stood by majority of his citizens but allowed himself to be caged by few elements who can’t win election in their various units without rigging.
Comrade Isah Abubakar, President, Northern Youth Council of Nigeria, in a statement ,explained that, “this will not be the first time Mr President will present himself as agent that is averse to democratic advancement.”
” During the lifespan of the 8th Assembly led by Senator Bukola Saraki, the Electoral Act was amended and forwarded to him for ascent, he shied away from it, citing flimsy reasons despite being the principal beneficiary of Yar’adua/Goodluck Jonathan’s led electoral reform.”
“If previous leaders had not assumed the position of elder statesmen and lived above their selfish and parochial interest, Mr Buhari would have been rearing his not so productive cows in Daura without the hope of winning any election. As no credible election can be conducted under a weak law.”
“The Council views the security reasons adduced as one of the reasons why he withheld ascent as self indictment. Otherwise, as President who swore to an oath to protect every Nigerian, can’t be talking about insecurity despite spending six years in office.
“If Mr President feels Nigeria is not safe for direct primaries, we wish to further buttress our call for him to resign and allow others with the capability to take over in other to suppress all insurgents that developed wings under the not-so-watchful eyes of President Buhari.”
“On the issue of finances, do we need to remind Mr President that at the rate the country is going, the only thing that can guarantee national cohesion going forward is perceived credible election, where the election is not widely accepted by all, and it leads to crisis, the money we think we want to conserve by not giving Nigerians what they yearned for will be paltry compared to what will be used in trying to restore the country to normalcy.
As usual, we know that our wise counsel won’t be acted upon by Mr President and the tiny cabals misleading him, but posterity will judge us right.”
“On the issue of overstretching of INEC staff and further cost implications, Nigerians are all aware that all political parties conducts their congresses via direct means to elect ward executives, which is mandatory to be conducted under INEC watchful eyes, before it is cascaded to indirect means at the Local Government, State and National levels.
This is applicable to all political parties, except some few briefcase parties that are only found in Abuja and ballot papers during election years. INEC has never cried of inadequate funds to monitor those activities, why did INEC suddenly allow itself to be used to blackmail Mr President with outrageous cost? It is time for EFCC/ICPC to begin to watch what is happening in our INEC offices.”
“To say that we are seriously angry with this unpopular decision is an understatement. The only people who are happy with this infamous action of Mr President are the delegates, that are waiting to rob aspirants and deny the people credible candidates.”
“We therefore wish to urge the National Assembly to invoke the provisions of section 58(5) of the Constitution to pass the Bill into law, through two-thirds majority of both Senate and House of Representatives.”
“Nigerians will stand with you as they did when you rejected the nomination of Lauretta Onochie, a partisan politician and a Presidential aide as INEC Commissioner,” they alleged.
Vanguard
