Senate plans to suspend sittings over Rivers’ inconclusive polls

The Senate yesterday resolved to stop plenary sessions should the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) refuse to conduct the outstanding elections in Rivers State by December 10, 2016.

The resolution was sequel to the adoption of a motion sponsored by the Deputy President of Senate, Ike Ekweremadu and the Senate Majority Leader, Muhammed Ali Ndume, which decried the spate of inconclusive elections in the country.

The Senate observed that most elections conducted by the new leadership of the commission had been characterised by inconclusiveness, suspension and even confusion.

Ekweremadu noted that “in spite of a resolution passed by the Senate since September 2016, calling on INEC to immediately conclude all pending re-run elections in the country, INEC has failed, refused and or neglected to conduct re-run elections in Rivers State into the Senate, House of Representatives and state House of Assembly.”

According to him: “Non-representation of the entire people of Rivers State in the Senate and some constituencies of the state in the House of Representatives and state House of Assembly is in breach of Section 14 (2c) of the 1999 Constitution, which enjoined the participation of every part of this country in the governance of Nigeria and this endangers peace and order in Rivers State.”

He further observed that the failure of INEC to conduct elections in Rivers State has continued to deny the people of the state their constitutional guaranteed rights to be represented in the legislative houses where laws affecting them are being made and engendered probable anxiety among people of the state.

Ndume said: “You can imagine today we are about to discuss PIB without any member from Rivers State. You can imagine our colleagues that were seated with us here, conducted election they believe they won, somebody elsewhere say they didn’t win. But the truth of the matter is that anyone of us here could have been in that position.

“You can imagine if for whatever reason, for example, myself who had been a victim and our people who have been victims of insurgency, if elections were not conducted in my place, I will not be here, let alone being the Senate Leader. How would it be for my people who are ravaged by insurgency not to have somebody to tell you people or my colleagues what is actually on ground. Just imagine the motions we raised that led to the passage of the bill on the North East Development Commission.

“And the second fear is that we have a new leadership in INEC. And we know the history now: inconclusive, suspension and confusion. And we have to do something.”