The controversial issue of militarization and massive rigging of the Presidential, National Assembly, Governorship, State Houses of Assembly and Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Area Council elections, yesterday, lead to a noisy session in the Senate.
This came prior to the resolve of the House of Representative to set up an adhoc committee to investigate the Independent National Electoral Committee, INEC, on the rate of inconclusive polls that had trailed this year’s general election.
The rowdy session in the Senate was followed by Senator Dino Melaye’s request to properly present a motion on the elections in another legislative day, but senators on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, strongly kicked against it.
Senator Melaye, who came under Order 42 of the 2015 Senate Standing Order as Amended, sought the permission of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and his colleagues to allow him come forward with a motion to debate what he saw as the militarization of the general elections, insisting that it cannot be swept under the carpet.
In his presentation, Senator Melaye, noted that his position was not political, instead, the motion would help curb electoral malpractices and correct the situation in future elections.
He
said he want the election to be debated on the floor of the house, that, he want
to bring a motion to be addressed by the Senate in the next legislative day so
that the militarization of the process, the abuses of election, will not go
undiscussed in the parliament for posterity sake.
The Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki, who presided over the Assembly, put the question to a voice vote and there was loud repeat of yes and nays. He however ruled that the prayer be adopted, said according to the Senate’s Standing Order, only one-fifth of the lawmakers was required to support the prayer before it could be adopted.