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Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila has vowed that the National Assembly will pass the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Gbajabiamila made the vow while commissioning some projects in Surulere, Lagos State.
He noted that President Muhammadu Buhari must have declined assent to the bill out of good intentions and based on advice that he got.
The Speaker stressed that the National Assembly will look at the reasons why the President declined assent and consider removing the clause and pass the bill.
Gbajabiamila, however, re-emphasized that the direct primary clause was inserted into the electoral act amendment bill to ensure that people participate in elections.
He assured Nigerians that the National Assembly will revisit the electoral act amended bill, and ensure that an amended electoral law is in place for future polls.
“If you followed the history of the amendment of the direct and indirect primary bill, I initiated that amendment bill for a good reason and it is for people to participate in elections. These are the people you see around when you campaign every four years come rain, come shine.
“For me, it does not make sense that these people do not have a voice in who represents them. It is part of being used and I didn’t like that.
“Most of us are reformers and one of the ways to reform the system is to make it more accountable and to make the people have a voice in who represents them as opposed to a few people sitting in the four corners of a wall and writing results. That is what the amendment was all about. Again, there is a process.
“The president has, in his wisdom, rejected it and I believe he did it with good intentions based on the advice that he got. He weighed everything. Again, maybe times are different. He has people who advised him and I guess they advised him against the amendment bill.
“There is a process. When we come back, as I said, the House will look at those amendments. We will sit as the National Assembly, look at the reasons and at that point, consider removing that clause and pass the bill so that we do not do away with the baby and the bath water.
“But then, it is not my decision to make. It is the decision of the National Assembly, if they determine that the reasons are not good enough, then, there is a process prescribed by the constitution,” Gbajabiamila said.