The Peoples Democratic Party has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately forward an amendment bill to the new Petroleum Industry Act to the National Assembly.

The party stated this in a statement by its spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan on Monday in Abuja in reaction to the signing of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) into law by Mr Buhari.

The PDP advised the president to send an amendment bill to the federal parliament to reflect the true wishes and aspirations of every segment of Nigerian society.

The statement expressed surprise that Mr Buhari ignored Nigerians’ criticisms of the bill, claiming it amounts to “endorsement of imposition, lack of respect for the people and the tenets of democracy as a system of government.’’

The major opposition added that signing the bill into law was not in the interest of oil-producing communities, particularly in the face of the challenges they faced due to oil exploration.

“Mr President could have returned the bill to the National Assembly with a request that it is made to address the demands of the oil-producing communities,” the party noted. “Our party fears that the new law cannot guarantee the desired stability and development in the oil and gas sector as well as respite in the Niger Delta region.”

It, therefore, called on Mr Buhari to “salvage the situation by immediately forwarding an amendment bill” to the parliament to “reflect the true wishes and aspirations of every segment of our nation.”

PDP also called for calm across the country, particularly the South-South geo-political zone, urging lawmakers elected on the PDP platform to be alert “even as preparation must be in full swing for an urgent amendment to the law.”

(NAN)