Electoral Act: Claims of President having assented, news to me too- Garba Shehu
There are conflicting stories on the position of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill waiting for President Muhammadu Buhari’s assent.
It was earlier reported that President Muhammadu Buhari may have appended his signature to the piece of legislation.
Some online platforms on Saturday claimed that the President had already signed the bill, which was transmitted to him last Friday.
However, more than one official sources have written the report off as untrue, pointing out the fact the bill could not have been signed in secret.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, who just returned from Abu Dhabi with the President, said the news of the signing, which had already gone viral on social media, was not known to him, saying “it is news to me too”.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, House of Representatives, Hon Umar El-Yakub, told The Nation the viral news could not be true, citing reasons for his conclusion.
According to El-Yakub: “He couldn’t have signed it yesterday because he was out of the country and he couldn’t have signed already because he’s just entering the country.
“I also cannot tell you that he will still not sign it or will not sign it. He’s the President. But if it will be signed later, we will all know.”