The Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, has stated that the president has already established a reputation for himself which cannot be changed even without him signing the electoral bill into law.

Recall that the National Assembly on November 9, 2021 passed the Electoral amendment bill.

Adesina who was on Channels TV on Monday, said the President is still consulting widely before he will assent to the bill or not.

The president had written to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for advise on the bill.

Adesina who was questioned on if the President’s democratic image will be affected if he does not assent to the bill, said;

“In terms of the President’s image or democratic value, that image is made already. It is almost cast in concrete.

“You will find that one election after the other has been better under President Buhari. Under Buhari, the governing party has lost states, legislative seats and so many elections. It was not like that before. It used to be that the governing party won all the elections by hook or by crook. But not under President Buhari.”

“So, his reputation as someone who wants to leave a clean electoral system for Nigerians has already been made. Whether the electoral bill is signed or not does not detract from that reputation”.

On the progress of the bill, Adesina said;

“What I can tell Nigerians is that the President is consulting widely and he will do what is best for the country. He has to consult with all stakeholders to arrive at a position that is best for Nigerians.

“That consultation is going on. Part of that consultation was the communication with INEC and other stakeholders that have also been reached for counsel. At the end of the day, the President is going to aggregate all of it and what’s best for the country is what he will do. We cannot preempt him. He will do it within the appropriate time.”