Joshua Omoloye, Abuja
While applauding the conduct of Saturday’s council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), governors elected on the platform the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has told President Muhammadu Buhari to strengthen the nation’s electoral process by assenting the Electoral Act.
Rising from its monthly meeting Monday in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, the PDP Governors Forum said the delay by the President in assenting the bill connotes unwillingness his to append signature to the bill.
In a communique issued after the meeting held at the Bayelsa State Government House, Yenagoa, the governors also congratulated the PDP for successful outing in the last Saturday council elections in the FCT in which it won 43 out of the 63 councillorship seats and three of six chairmanship positions.
“The PDP Governors urged Mr President to immediately sign the Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law. Waiting to run out the 30 days is yet another sign of unwillingness by Mr President to give Nigeria a reformed Electoral framework”, the statement read while telling Buhari that “if there are still misgivings on any aspect of the Bill Amendments may be introduced at a later stage”
Congratulating the party on the outcome of the FCT poll the Governors congratulated PDP “for winning 43 out of 62 Councillorship positions in the Abuja Area Council election results, just concluded.
Stressing that inspite of improvements in the conduct of elections, the Gwagwalada and Abuja Area Council, results show that manipulations are still possible, the governors said an improved electoral system is expected to be put in place by the amended Electoral Act.
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They, however, urged INEC “to tighten all observed loopholes and further improve on the functioning of the BIVAS Machine for future elections”.
Commenting on the state of the nation, the PDP Governors Forum said “as the National Assembly winds down this current phase of the Constitution Review exercise, the Forum urged that they revisit the issue of devolution of more powers to the States and Local Governments.
“This opportunity to rejig the framework for policing and securing Nigeria should not be missed. To this end, the Forum would set up a Panel of Consultants to have a thorough look at the security architecture of Nigeria and make recommendations.
“The Governors also urged the National Assembly to transfer some items from the Exclusive Legislative List to Concurrent List”
The Forum welcomed the Court decision on Police Trust Fund deductions from the Federation Account, a suit at the instance of Rivers State and urged the Federal Government to stop similar unconstitutional deductions from the Federation Account.
“In the same vein, the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission should expedite action on the new Revenue Allocation formula in such a way as to increase allocation to States and Local Government”, it said..
The Governors expressed their displeasure on the issue of contaminated fuel supplied to Nigerians and urged government to bring perpetrators to account.
The communique further read “the Forum once again deplored the way and manner the CBN is being run as an alternate government, indeed, a government within a Government. It is time to streamline its functions and processes to be constitutionally compliant.
“The Forum once again decried the opaque nature of NNPC operations. They called for accountability and reconciliation of NNPC remittances into the federation account”
They frowned at the duplicity, inconsistency, insincerity of the APC led Federal Government on the fuel subsidy regime, which has been badly and corruptly administered. The figures of consumption and ascribed to Nigerians appear fictitious and bloated.
They called for proper investigation to be conducted on this matter.
