2019: What ex-PDP chairman, Senator Makarfi said about re-order of elections

Senator Ahmed Makarfi​, former chairman, National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP​, has reacted to the re-ordering of the sequence of elections by the National Assembly.

He pointed out that although the federal legislators have agreed on a new sequence, it cannot become law until President Muhammadu Buhari assents to it.

“The position of the law is clear on this. It is not what is passed, but what is signed that becomes law. If the President signs it, it becomes law.

“We passed the same law during my time at the Senate and then a court said it was unconstitutional and that it was the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that has the power to do that. If that is the case, so be it.

“But for me, my take is, PDP should prepare to win no matter how elections are ordered. To think that elections should be ordered this way or that way is a lazy way of approaching elections.

“Whichever way it is ordered, we should campaign and work. I believe strongly that anyhow the elections come, PDP will win. So, we should concentrate on the main issues and not through any short-cut,” he told New Telegraph.

Recall that the Senator representing Imo North, Benjamin Uwajomogu, had stated that the lawmakers’ rejigging of the sequence of future elections was targeted at Buhari.

The lawmaker insisted that his colleagues’ action violated the provision of the Nigerian Constitution which only empowered the INEC to take such decision.

“I have flipped through the Hansards of the 1960 parliament, the Second Republic and the Third Republic National Assembly Hansards, and couldn’t locate where they ever inserted the sequence of elections in their Electoral Act. I stand to be corrected,” Uwajomogu said.

“There may be different reasons, but be rest assured that when Mr. President vetoes the bill, majority of us will support the veto.

“It is becoming clear by the day, that wittingly or unwittingly, their target is Mr. President, and many of our colleagues will realise their mistake and change their mind,” he said.