Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has said that the request by President Muhammadu Buhari to amend Section 84 (12) of the newly assented Electoral Act is a selfish move aimed at protecting sacred cows within his cabinet.
Wike, who reacted with mixed feelings to the signing of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law on Friday, said although the introduction of electronic transmission of results will reduce killings and electoral fraud in the country, the president’s reservations on Section 84(12), which deals with the status of political appointees during party conventions and congresses, is selfish.
Briefing newsmen in Port Harcourt, Governor Wike said Buhari’s reservation indicates that protecting the interest of his appointees was all the while the main reason for not signing the amended bill and not the initial rejection on the ground of the mode of conducting party primaries.
The Rivers State Governor called on the National Assembly not to be taken as “kindergartens” by refusing to amend the section of the newly signed Electoral Act as requested by President Buhari. He equally challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to seize this opportunity to prove its credibility in delivering acceptable elections.
