2018 Electoral Bill Still Alive – Ita Enang

The Presidency last Tues-day declared that the 2018 Electoral Bill passed by the National Assembly on the 24th of July and forwarded to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent on August 3, 2018 is still awaiting his assent as the bill still has  19 days before it can be vetoed
The declaration was made against the backdrop of reports published in a national daily that the Presidency had again declined assent to the Electoral Bill .
Making clarification on the status of the bill, the Senior Special Assistant to the  President on  National  Assembly Matters ( Senate) , Senator Solomon Ita  Enang  in a chat with Senate correspobdents said the vetoed bill was the first  one sent to the President on 27th June , 2018 and not the one passed by both chambers of the National Assembly on July 24, 2018, the day the National Assembly adjourned for its  long recess.
According to Senator Enang,  the vetoed one was the one which had the provisions for the Clause  25 (1)  for elections sequence  and other contentious clauses .
His words, “ The reported vetoed bill was the  one passed by the National Assembly and transmitted  to the President for assent on the 27th of June, 2018, duration of which in line with constitutional provisions expires on the 26th of July, 2018 , warranting the said veto .
“ Yes , an Electoral Bill  was vetoed or refused assent by the President but not the last version of the 2018 Electoral Bill transmitted to the President for assent on the 3rd of this month that has just spent 11 days on his table and still having 19 days more for possible consideration and assent”.

Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi, Abuja