Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, has alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari is apprehensive to sign the reworked Electoral Act Amendment Bill because it will adversely affect the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 general elections.
Wike identified the inclusion of the compulsory electronic transmission of electoral results in the bill, which had been reworked, passed, and sent to Buhari by the National Assembly, as one of the greatest fears of the APC.
A statement by Wike’s Special Assistant, Media, Kelvin Ebiri, said the Governor spoke at the inauguration of lecture halls, laboratories, and offices of the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences of the Bayelsa Medical University, in Yenagoa, yesterday.
Referring to Buhari and the APC, Wike said: “They are afraid that if INEC in 2023 transmits election results electronically that is the end of them; because they know they will fail.”
Wike queried why the APC-controlled Federal Government was making excuses to justify their unwillingness to sign into law a document he said would advance the country’s electoral process.
He recalled that in 2019, the President declined assent because the mandatory use of card readers was included in the bill out of fear it would diminish his winning chances.
According to him, the President also recently declined assent on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill on the basis that the National Assembly included direct primaries and made it mandatory for a serving minister to resign before contesting elections.
Wike said they were trivial excuses because, in 2015, he resigned as Minister, contested and won the governorship of Rivers State.
The Governor said it was regrettable that nobody was willing to help the citizens and the country adding that the National Assembly lacked the courage to assist the country.
Wike commended the Bayelsa Governor, Senator Douye Diri for his development stride boasting that PDP Governors were known as performers.
He donated N500million to help the Bayelsa government complete the Faculty of Basic Clinical Sciences building project at the Bayelsa Medical University, which is still at DPC, (damp proof course) level.
