Senate swears in Ekpenyong as lawmaker pledges positive electoral reforms

The Senate yesterday swore in representative of Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District, Christopher Ekpenyong of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The lawmaker took the oath administered by Deputy Clerk of the Senate, Musa Abdullahi about 10:40 am after adoption of the votes and proceedings for Wednesday’s plenary.

Speaking after his swearing in, Ekpenyong vowed to be a major driver of the process that would rejig the nation’s electoral system that would guarantee a free and fair electoral system.

He said, “If you have not gone through the kind of experience some of us have been through, you will not understand the pains of the electorate and the electoral process.

“What shall we leave for Nigeria as a legacy, the Ninth Assembly must leave a legacy of seriousness, good electoral process, like I said. So, we must do everything possible to ensure that we bequeath an electoral process that will take care of all the anomalies.”

When reminded that his bill will still be subjected to presidential assent, which may not materialise like what happened before the last election when President Muhammadu Buhari declined to sign the amended electoral act, he said, “What is President Buhari looking for again, he is going to finish his tenure.

“What should he leave? He should leave a legacy of good electoral process for Nigerians to choose their leaders.

“He should have taken a look at the observed irregularities in the various elections he had contested and how many times he went to court, as a result of bad electoral process?