The Senate has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately conclude all pending rerun elections in the country.
Moving the motion titled ‘‘Inconclusive Elections’’at the Senate’s plenary session on Tuesday 27th September, 2016, Deputy Senate President, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu (PDP:Enugu)raised concerns over the spate of inconclusive elections across the country as well as the postponed Governorship elections in Edo State . In the motion, Sen. Ekweremadunotedthat the inconclusive elections had created vacant seats in the National and State Houses of Assembly; leaving many states and local governments without representation. However, he also apportioned some blame to the Executive arm of Government highlighting that about 20 States in Nigeria were yet to have Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), contrary to section 14 (2) of the third schedule to the 1999 Constitution (as amended) which incapacitated the Commission from functioning optimally.
Supporting the motion, Sen. Ali Ndume (APC:Borno)decried the number of inconclusive elections and called on the electoral management body to conclude pending elections. He also raised concerns that INEC had breached section 76 of the 1999 Constitution, which specifies the timeline for the conduct of elections to the National Assembly and filling of vacant seats in both chambers.
Accordingly, the Senate resolved that:
- President MuhammaduBuhari should immediately nominate suitably qualified persons to fill vacant positions in INECin line with the Constitution and enhance INEC’s capacity to conduct conclusive elections;
- INEC immediately conclude the de-alienation of additional state constituencies and local government areas;
- The Senate Committee on INEC should conduct a Public Hearing to review INEC’s performance within the last year to ascertain factors that may have caused the perceived decline of the electoral system.
