The Senator representing Plateau North, Istifanus Gyang, has stated President Muhammadu Buhari signed the amended Electoral Act under intense pressure by Nigerians. He similarly stated if the President had banned the bill for a second time, nothing would have stopped the National Assembly from bypassing him.

Gyang divulged this in an interview with reporters in Jos, the Plateau State capital, while monitoring the conduct of the Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency bye-election in the state.

He said, “Signing into law the amended Electoral Act by the President has actually been long in waiting, since for us at the National Assembly, we have actually been longing to provide Nigeria an electoral process that is reputable, transparent and where the outcome of the election will show the reality and the will of individuals.

“We want to appreciate the President for a minimum of conceding under pressure to the will and dream of Nigerians.

“We the members of the National Assembly were waiting to see what he will do and he has just done what would have conserved him a humiliation otherwise, we would have proceeded to bypass him if he had banned the bill.”

Gyang, who is the Deputy Chairman Senate Committee on Defence, applauded Nigerian citizens, particularly the civil Society for sustaining pressure on the President to sign into law the Electoral Act which he referred to as a very vital responsibility put on the President by the constitution.

He expressed gratitude that Nigeria now has an Electoral Act that empowers INEC to perform its task judiciously as an election umpire.

Likewise speaking, Member representing Jos South/Jos East in the House of Representatives, Hon. Dachung Musa Bagos stated the Electoral Act would provide Nigerians a totally free, credible and reasonable election in 2023.

“Now that the Electoral Act has actually been signed into law, we anticipate that the 2023 election must be among the best fair and totally free elections Nigeria has actually ever had.

“We have had a great deal of laws but at the end of the day, a lot however nobody has ever been brought to book when they break the law and by this, we anticipate that all elections would be in accordance with the law,” he said.

He described that the electoral act has actually exonerated members of the National Assembly from the understanding of a section of the nation who see them as a rubber stamp assembly.