Speaking with DAILY POST on Thursday, Adokwe knocked Mr. President for being evasive, saying Buhari’s stance on the bill has been ‘back and forth.’
The lawmaker noted that the manner and way, the bill was returned for three consecutive times looks suspicious, adding that the President was not interested in the amendment bill from the beginning which was sent to him first in July, 2018.
He said, the development would leave weighty implications, adding that, “there is no integrity in the whole process.”
“The issue of back and forth, I see as lapses. It is not really his refusal to assent that matters, it is the cost implication. ”
“The way and manner it is, it calls for suspicion and there is no integrity in the whole process.”
“The implication is that we have gone to the pre-2015. Even though we did not provide the use of card reader in that amendment, there is a tacit understanding that it should be used to ensure that accreditation is done speedily”, the lawmaker emphasised.
He further explained that electronic print out from card reader machine would have been admissible in court, if the bill was signed into law.
“It means we have to rely heavily on the manual register because as it is, print out from card reader machines are not still not admissible in court as per the Supreme Court rulings even in my case. ”
Speaking on the likelihood of the amended electoral bill disrupting the election as a result of time constraints, he posited:” It is not true that assenting to the bill would disrupt the 2019 elections as President Buhari claimed. ”
He said that electoral act which was used in 2015 general election was signed by former President Goodluck Jonathan ten days to the elections.
