Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has said that there is nothing he and his colleagues in the All Progressives Congress, APC, can do if Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, lawmakers muster two-third of members to override President Muhammadu Buhari’s refusal to assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
DAILY POST reported late last week that President Buhari declined assent to the bill for the fourth time, giving various reasons.
Gbajabiamila, however, said that APC members in the House will thwart any plan to override President Buhari’s veto to turn the Electoral Act amendment into law.
News Agency of Nigeria. NAN, reports that Gbajabiamila spoke with reporters in Abuja on the matter, adding that the party had more than the required number to stop the process.
He explained that for the house to override the president’s veto, it requires a minimum of two-third majority of its members.
He said the president declined to assent the bill to enable many Nigerians have the opportunity to vote in case of card reader malfunction.
“We have seen instances where the card readers have failed, what Mr. President has done is to protect everybody in Nigeria, many could be disenfranchised and we do not want that.
“If they are able to muster two-third and push it forward, there is nothing we can do but as a party, we are not going to be part of it as it makes no sense to override in the case of an important document,” he said.
The majority leader explained that a fire brigade approach must not be adopted, saying that the amendment was too close to the elections “and that is the reason for the ECOWAS protocol.”
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