March 11: Consider issues raised during Presidential/NASS elections, Lawan charges INEC

Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan on Thursday urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to consider all issues raised by the public during the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly elections in order to have a smooth conduct of the forthcoming governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections.

The electoral umpire had fixed March 11, 2023 for the governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections having conducted the Presidential and National Assembly polls on February 25.

Specifically, the Senate President charged the INEC to abide by the Constitution and the Electoral Act 2022 in the conduct of the next week’s election.

Lawan, who spoke while announcing the suspension of plenary to March 14 to enable senators to participate in the campaigns and elections, also called for the support of people to all the lawmakers contesting governorship race.

He said: “I think INEC should consider looking into issues raised by the public. INEC should be strictly guided by the Constitution and the Electoral Act and their guidelines and regulations.

“Nigerians should support INEC in whatever way they can so that it conducts the governorship and states assembly elections successfully.

“This is because that is what we all expect and that is what we need as a democracy.

“We will be out of this place for the next two weeks and come back and continue our legislative functions.

“I thank every senator for doing everything possible to make this Ninth Senate a success.

“We have finished this legislative week. The idea of reconvening immediately after the presidential and national assembly elections was to ensure that we are abreast with the whole situation both that happened during election and are happening now.

“This is so that we remain part and parcel of the solution where necessary and we have achieved that and we have also in the process done other legislative work.

“We have to adjoin for all of us to participate in the campaigns and elections of the governors and states assembly members,” he said.

The Senate President further informed that seven serving senators were contesting in the governorship election.

He listed those contesting under the All Progressives Congress, APC to include the Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege in Delta State; Aishatu Binani in Adamawa; Uba Sani (Kaduna); Emmanuel Bwacha (Taraba) and Teslim Folarin in Oyo State while Haliru Jika of the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP and Sandy Onor of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP are candidates in Bauchi and Cross River States, respectively.

“We wish all of them success and Nigeria will be making history, this senate will be making history.

“Senator Binani will make history if elected to be the first Nigerian female governor.

“We wish all our colleagues contesting and those of us who are not running should all go and participate in the processes because we will be able to observe first hand, some of the issues that may arise.

“During the Presidential and National Assembly election on a general note, everything went on fine, but still we have one or two complaints coming from the public,” the Senate President said.