A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr.Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim has commended President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR) for referring the new Electoral Act amendment bill for due dilligence.
In a statement released by his Media office in Abuja on Sunday, Olawepo-Hashim who had aspired to contest for the Presidency in 2023 on the platform of the APC, noted that President Buhari is right to refer the new Bill for due dilligence before giving his assent.
The Politician who had since March, been saying that things pertaining to the conduct of the 2023 election should be done properly, insisted that ” we should be fair to the President and don’t ridicule his office by bringing things not properly digested for him to sign.”
Accordimg to him, “people have been churning out different versions of the act as if laws are primary school instructions of a village headmaster.
“We must put a stop to this and do things properly and be fair to the President and don’t ridicule his office by bringing things not properly digested for him to sign.”
He explained that the “issue is about political interest of different factions of the political elite working in cahoot with INEC. They want to present Nigerians with a fait accompli through the ongoing primaries of the two major political parties. The President can see through this.”
Olawepo-Hashim maintained further that “the solution as I have argued is simple.
Let primaries hold between now and August when the Executive leadership ,the Legislative leadership, INEC,and the party leadership would have made input into an acceptable electoral act then President can sign.”
The Electoral Act, he argued, provides that Primaries should hold 180 days to election and 180 days is August.
“So, why the stampede? There must be transparency and fairness to all sides ,no one should ambush any one.I have been saying this since March,” he said.