CIVIL Society Organisations, CSOs, under the auspices of Civil Society Partners on Electoral Reform, Wednesday, accused the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, over alleged misleading of President Muhammadu Buhari, signing the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
This was in a statement signed by the Executive Director, Adopt A Goal for Development Initiative, Ariyo-Dare Atoye, and endorsed by Centre for Liberty, Raising New Voices and Youths and Students Advocates for Development Initiative (YSAD).
According to the statement, Malami is abusing “the powers and advantages of his office to misadvise the President against signing the electoral act bill.
The statement reads in part, “The AGF has demonstrated a high-level insensitivity to the public interest; his action, negative disposition and opposition to the electoral bill engages our democracy and represent a clear affront to Section 174 (3) of the 1999 Constitution.
“Section 174 (3) reads: In exercising his powers under this section, the Attorney-General of the Federation shall have regard to the public interest, the interest of justice and the need to prevent abuse of legal process.”
The group in the statement pointed that the Electoral Bill has been transmitted a record six times to the President, “On the advice of the AGF, the President has declined the signing of the Electoral Bill for a record five times in the last six years, making it difficult for the country to improve on the legal framework of its electoral process.
“This is the sixth time, the bill has been retransmitted to the President for his assent, yet there are indications that the AGF is about to ask him not to sign it.
“This unconscionable action of the AGF represents a clear and present danger to our democracy and it is worrisome that Mr Malami is ill-advising the President to act against public interest at a time that undemocratic elements are threatening civil rule in Africa.
“We wish to urge President Buhari to beware of his AGF, whose only motivation is to side with dissidents who are poised to make credible elections impossible, and also the allure of using government resources to further his political interest.
“There is nothing controversial in what the National Assembly has done: giving a democratic interpretation to Consensus and also trying to protect the operation of government by asking political appointees interested in contesting to resign a few months to the elections.
“One year to elections, the country usually suffer serious reduction and double jeopardy in the productivity of elective and appointive persons seeking to contest, and therefore, it is in the public interest to reduce the severity of this decline and distractions, by legally asking the appointees to resign a few months to the polls.
“This new provision in the electoral act will reduce the use of government resources to the advantage of these appointees who are seeking elective office and thereby help other aspirants to compete favourably.”