A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress and former governorship candidate in Rivers State, Tonye Princewill, has said the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), would not make excuses to remain in power beyond 2023.
He said the delay in signing the amended electoral bill was due to some grey areas.
Princewill stated this while speaking with newsmen in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
He was reacting to speculations that the delay by the President in assenting the bill five times in a row may necessitate the invocation of a doctrine of necessity to override any impasse that may arise.
He stated, “The fact that he (Buhari) has not signed it yet does not mean that he is not going to sign it. Nigerians should give the President some time.
“Don’t forget that when the previous bill was submitted to him, he was particular about the issue of direct primaries and he had to write to various stakeholders to get feedback from them.
An amendment has been made now, and Nigerians should give the President some time.
“There are some clauses in that bill that are probably difficult. One of such clauses is that all officers that want to contest the elections have to resign before the primaries.
“There are some slight changes which the lawmakers inserted which may make it difficult for the President to sign. I am very sure that in no time, the President will assent the bill. I don’t want to preempt the President on what exactly the outcome will be.”
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