President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday withheld assent to the the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2021.
The deadline for assent to the bill, which was sent to the president last month, elapsed last Friday, raising concerns among citizenry over the likelihood of the bill being passed into law.
On Monday, the president announced that he would not assent to bill.
In letter to the national assembly, Buhari cited the high cost of conducting direct primary as his reason for withholding assent.
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He also gave deepening security crisis in some part of the country as another reason that informed his decision, noting that it would be too risky to monitor direct primary elections, which may result in violation of people’s rights.
Buhari explained that party small political parties that lack resources and structure would be marginally denied which he said.
He added that the bill was not in overall interest of the country and wasn’t in the interest of the country.
