Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, has faulted the refusal of President, Muhammadu Buhari, to withhold his assent to the amended electoral bill, saying that the president and his party the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had a hidden agenda ahead of next year’s general elections.

There have been wide spread public outcry across the country over President Buhari’s refusal to sign the amended electoral bill, the president had also withdrawn his assent to the bill in September asking for some text in the bill to be revised by the National Assembly.

But his refusal to sign an amended version have been criticised by Nigerians and political stakeholders across the country, the president, however, said the passage of a new electoral bill at this period could create uncertainty and confusion in the nation’s electoral process ahead.

But speaking in an interview with Business day Thursday, National Publicity Secretary of the group, Yinka Odumakin, described the President’s decision as a setback to democracy in the country, stressing that there has not been any move by the President since he assumed office to safeguard the electoral process in the country.

Odumakin said it was obvious that the president decision was taken to safe guard millions of votes he allegedly illegally acquired in the north, adding that the APC was planning to rig next year’s election.

“It is unfortunate that a president, who contested election in the country more than three times before he win even up to the Supreme Court, has not done anything to improve the electoral process in the country since he assumed office.

“We are not surprised it is part of the plan to rig in 2015 presidential election, he got several votes, about 75 percent of his total votes in the north illegally.

Speaking further, he condemned the current Trader moni entrepreneur empowerment scheme of the current administration, describing it as an advance vote buying.

“His refusal to sign is a continuation of the rigging plan of the election. The trader-moni is advance vote-buying you can see the way it is been done,” Odumakin said.

•Sourced from a BusinessDAY report