By Peter Duru – Makurdi

The Middle Belt Forum, MBF, has urged the National Assembly to quickly affected the necessary amendments to the Electoral Act as raised by President Muhammadu Buhari and send the legislation back to the President for assent.

The MBF cautioned that Nigerians would not want a repeat of what happened in 2018 when the President refused to sign the Act claiming that the time was too short to have it come into effect.

National President of MBF, Dr. Bitrus Pogu gave the advise Tuesday in Makurdi while reacting to the decision of President Buhari to decline assent to the piece of legislation over the Act’s provision of mandatory direct primaries in the election of candidates of political parties.

Dr. Pogu said, “at this particular time, if the observations that President Muhammadu Buhari has made are genuine, the members of the National Assembly are matured nationalists, let them make the necessary amendments to the legislation so that we can be on the same page.

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“At least the most important thing Nigerians want is that there should be transmission of results directly from the polling stations to the collation centres. This will cut out all those points where results are changed and manipulated.

“So the issue of primaries of political parties whether direct or indirect should be left for the political parties.

“The National Assembly should make the necessary arrangements and amendment and send the Act back to the President on time so that he doesn’t come and use the kind of excuse which we experienced in 2018, when he said the time was short; because Nigerians will certainly not be happy with anything of such.

“So that should be done quickly because within a week they should be able to do that. They should do it and send it back to him and lets see what will happen.”

Vanguard News Nigeria