Senate Threatens To Suspend Sittings

The resolution followed a motion put forward on Wednesday by the Deputy Senate President, Mr Ike Ekweremadu.

Senator Ekweremadu called the attention of the Senate to the pending elections and failure of INEC to act accordingly.

Senator Ekweremadu was worried that INEC was breaching the Electoral Act by failing to conduct the senatorial rerun election in the state.

He stated that the act had led to the absence of representatives from Rivers State both in the Senate and House of Representatives after the elections were declared inconclusive.

Senate Leader Ali Ndume, giving his opinion on the issue, said” “It could be any of us as in the case of River State. Imagine a state like mine ravaged by insurgency without a representation.

“We have a new leadership in INEC and yet the cases recorded have been inconclusive elections and sometimes confusion”. Today we are taking Petroleum Industry Bill deliberations without any Senator from River State”.

In support of the Point of Order, Senator Matthew Urhoghide urged the Senate to take note of the place of democracy in what they do.

“There is no other way we can input inhumane treatment than what INEC is doing in Rivers State”.

The Chairman of the Senate INEC Committee, Senator Abubakar Kyari, however inform his colleagues that the latest information that he had from INEC was that elections in Rivers State would hold on December 10 December.

After the deliberations, the Senate resolved to call on the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct elections to vacant senatorial seats in Rivers State not later than December 10 or Senate Plenary will be suspended.

Capping the deliberations, the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, said: “This is a very important motion targeted to improve our democracy. We will go with the information from the Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC.

“We all saw the new INEC Chairman during his screening, this a very challenging time for him and his commission to prove themselves. The Senate INEC Committee Chairman too has given us his words and we will hold him accountable to it”.