It’s a dent on our electoral process – Tambuwal
By Ezrel Tabiowo and Joshua Egbodo, Abuja
Following the recent postponement of the 2015 general elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Senate yesterday summoned the commission’s Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, to brief the upper chamber on the circumstances leading to the shift.
The elections were initially scheduled to commence on April 14 but were postponed to March 28 and April 11 by INEC.
The Senate’s decision to summon Jega was reached during plenary upon resumption from a one-month recess, and sequel to a motion of urgent public importance moved by the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba.
Earlier, the Senate Leader, while drawing the attention of his colleagues to the shift of the general elections by INEC, had stated that Nigerians deserved an explanation from the commission as to the circumstances surrounding the postponement of election dates from February to March and April.
But senators belonging to the All Progressives Congress (APC) opposed the summons extended to Jega, arguing that the Service Chiefs instead ought to be made to appear before the chamber to give explanations for the reason given by the military to the commission, one that led to the subsequent rescheduling of the polls.
Attempts by the Leader of the opposition party in the Senate, Senator George Akume, to get the Service Chiefs summoned by proposing an amendment to the motion was opposed by the Senate president who suggested that the Senate should meet first with the management of the electoral body to get details into what prompted the decision to postpone the elections.
According to him, should the Senate find it imperative to invite the Service Chiefs, the chamber would go ahead to do so after meeting with the INEC chairman.
Following a unanimous adoption of the motion by a voice vote by senators, lawmakers belonging to the APC addressed a press conference at the National Assembly, accusing the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of plotting to rig the elections through the postponement of the elections.
Leading the delegation, Akume, told newsmen that the attention of the Senate should be focused on the security agencies on why they advised the commission to desist from conducting elections as earlier scheduled.
Lamenting the postponement, the lawmakers observed that countries like Egypt, Syria, Kenya, Columbia, Afghanistan, Mali and other nations with more serious incidences of security challenges had organised elections successfully.
He, therefore, warned that any further attempt by INEC to shift the elections beyond the rescheduled date or manipulate the electoral process would be resisted by the opposition party.
The lawmakers also cautioned the commission that any move to postpone the elections is capable of bringing about ugly consequences for the country.
He said: “You will recall that the National Assembly was on break to enable us participate in the elections which were scheduled for February this year. All of us went to our respective constituencies. Our candidate at the national level, General Buhari, and his team were also going round, doing a lot of work.
“We were all convinced and, perhaps rightly too, that the right thing was going to be done. We tried to sell our party to the great people of this country and suddenly because there was a huge surge in the acceptability of the APC in the land, people started flying the kite, people from the other divide.
“Under normal circumstances, we believe the situation is also normal now, these affected areas should have been isolated for the purpose of holding elections at a later date. But this was not to be.
“We are all learned people, educated people, to know that elections have been held in Columbia, which is perpetually at war with itself, elections have been held in Egypt, in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Syria, in Pakistan, in Mali, Tunisia and other countries. Nigeria cannot be an exception.
“We believe that there is serious manipulation and a deliberate attempt to undermine and to manipulate the democratic institutions and structures.
“There is no country in the world whose leader can sit down and do what we are doing here, to undermine our democracy. That is tantamount to treason.
“We have nothing like Interim Government in our constitution and, of course, there is nothing like coup in our constitution and, therefore, we must do the right thing. The president himself has sworn to protect this country and, therefore, who he is going wrong, he must be corrected.
“Elections must be held as rescheduled. It is important that INEC must do this in order to avoid unpleasant consequences.”
Addressing the press after plenary, the Senate’s spokesman, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, clarified that the Senate was convinced that Jega would supply the needed information, stating however, that if the problem boiled down to security, the upper chamber would look for means of tackling the situation.
In a related development, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, yesterday asserted that the recent postponement of the general elections has inflicted an indelible dent on the integrity of the polls, as well as the country’s entire electoral process.
Tambuwal, in an address of welcome to his colleagues at the resumption of plenary of the House yesterday, said: “Public reaction to this unfortunate development has been spontaneous, intense and varied. The preponderance of opinion is that the postponement was ill-timed, the blame on security concerns notwithstanding.”
The Speaker said the government owes Nigerians a duty to make deliberate and honest efforts to restore public confidence in the process and in its commitment to free, fair, peaceful and transparent elections.
He urged his colleagues to expedite action on the 2015 budget of the country, saying: “The first crucial task before us is the 2015 budget proposal which is at committee stage.
“I urge that the belated submission notwithstanding, we owe our country a duty not only to pass this appropriation bill speedily but also with due diligence and thorough scrutiny. As we deliberate, we must take cognisance of the prevailing global economic realities.”
According to him, besides the 2015 budget, similar diligence was required for other critical bills currently before the House.
“Notwithstanding the limitation of time, I am confident that we shall pass the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), the Constitutional Amendment Bill and similar such critical bills that are already at Report stage,” he noted.
On electoral matters, Tambuwal said: “The utmost urgency is the Electoral Act Amendment Bill which has already been passed by the two chambers. The House of Representatives has already constituted her harmonisation committee and I believe that the Senate will do same expeditiously so that we can wrap up soonest. This is very critical as the amendments contained therein provide the clear legal framework for participation in the electoral process by Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), whose numbers are, no doubt, substantial.”