SAN FRANCISCO, November 02, (THEWILL) – The Senate on Wednesday resolved to suspend its sittings if the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, failed to conduct National Assembly rerun elections in Rivers state between now and December 10.
The Deputy Senate President, Chief Ike Ekweremadu, in a motion moved on the floor of the Upper Chamber, urged his colleagues for their sittings to be suspended if INEC did not conduct the rerun elections within five weeks.
His words, “INEC has failed and refused to conduct rerun elections into the Senate and House of Representatives in the Rivers state.
“This motion is out of a need for every state to be part of the government.
“I, therefore, urge the senate to ask INEC to conduct the elections by December 10, failure of which the senate will suspend plenary pending the time the elections are conducted.”
In his contribution, the Senate Leader, Ali Ndume criticised the electoral umpire for what he described as “inconclusive elections after inconclusive elections”, stressing that the election must be conducted in Rivers because of the primacy of the state.
Ndume said further, “You can imagine we are about to discuss PIB, and there are no members from Rivers state.
“We have a new leadership at INEC now, but we know the history; inconclusive elections after inconclusive elections and suspension. So we ask that elections should take place in Rivers state.”
After the debate, the Senate resolved to suspend its sittings if the election was not held in Rivers by December 10 as stated by INEC.
