From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The former Secretary General of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Mr Anthony Sani, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the electoral bill amendment without further delay for the interest of justice.
Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami had argued that if the electoral bill amendment is signed by the president, it could affect provisions in the constitutions of the country’s political parties.
Sani reminded the Attorney General that President Buhari was a product of a direct primary election and that assenting to its amendment was not a new development since both direct and indirect primaries are in the constitutions of political parties.
In a statement provided to Daily Sun, the former ACF scribe noted that the role of Attorney General and Minister of Justice in a democratic system is to help improve multiparty democracy with substantive, and not technical justice.
‘I have read the opinions of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, on the Electoral Amendment Bill of 2021 as it affects the direct primaries by political parties,’ he stated.
‘The submission has not touched on the substantive issues of what direct primaries can add to the volume and quality of internal democracy in the political parties.
‘Rather, the Attorney General and the minister of justice is concerned about technical issues of parties constitution that have already been registered and would have to be amended in the event direct primaries is a law.
‘I do not see how the provision for direct primary would affect the parties constitutions which provide for both direct and indirect primaries. If the president assents to the Bill, it means only direct primaries are allowed. It is too early for the minister to forget that President Buhari is a product of direct primary.
‘The place of Attorney General and Minister of Justice in our democracy is to help improve our multiparty democracy with substantive and NOT technical justice.
‘President Buhari should therefore assent to the Electoral Amendment Bill 2021 in the interest of substantive justice and not technicality that adds no value to internal democracy.
‘President Buhari should avoid the impression being created that the state governors and the Attorney General minister of justice can usurp the functions of the National Assembly in legislative matters,’ Sani said.