Senator Ben Murray-Bruce representing Bayelsa East has demanded explanation from the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) on why it has not conducted pending senatorial re-run elections.
Bruce noted that the non-representation of some states in the Senate was a violation of the constitution.
Bruce, who asked the Senate to take up the issue with the INEC chairman, said the people of the affected areas have a right to be represented in the Senate.
The senator, in his point of order, on Wednesday, April 27, 2016 said: “We have not had representation in this chamber from Rivers State, part of Anambra, Imo, Kogi and some other states. INEC concluded elections in one week in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) but in these states they had no representation here and it does not make any sense.
“It is a violation of the constitution; the people of these states have a right to have representation here. The INEC Chairman owes us an explanation to explain why these elections have not been concluded.
“It is a simple matter and it is the responsibility for INEC to conclude these elections so that the people of these beautiful states have representation here in the Senate.”
A coalition of civil society organisations operating based in the South East of Nigeria had, last week, written a letter to the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) raising alarm on the lapses in the commission’s conduct of elections in the South East and South South zones of the country.
The group, under the leadership of the International Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law (Intersociety) has condemned the electoral commissions conduct of polls specifically in Imo, Anambra, and Rivers States. The letter noted that INEC, by its continued refusal to conduct rerun elections to fill the affected seats in the national assembly of these states, the commission was in breach of the electoral laws.
In the letter dated April 20, 2016 and addressed to the INEC chairman, Mahmud Yakubu, the group warned that by flaunting the electoral act, INEC was denying over 60 million Nigerians their right to be represented in the legislative chambers of the country. It also warned that the continued refusal of the commission to conduct credible elections in these three states was an open invitation to anarchy.
Deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, on his part, explained that he was aware that INEC would meet today to fix dates for the election.
He said: “Let me just say that I am aware that INEC will be meeting tomorrow (today) to fix dates for this rerun or bye-elections, but it is important that you have raised it so that the nation will know that we are concerned about the non-representation of some of these states.
“It is clear in the constitution that INEC should quickly conduct within 30 days bye-elections where vacancies occur and so, it is far past 30 days when vacancies occurred in some places. It is important that we urge INEC to ensure that as soon as possible that these elections are conducted so that every part of the country, every states would have their full representation in the National Assembly.”
Hatip to The Herald
