Senate, on Wednesday, invoked Section 157(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and formally terminated the appointments of three Resident Electoral Commissioners, RECs of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, over various offences.
The affected RECs, who have been on suspension from 2022 and 2023, are Dr. Nura Ali, formerly in charge of Sokoto State, Barrister Hudu Yunusa Ari (Adamawa State, and Professor Ikemefuna Chijioke Uzochukwu (Abia State).
They had been suspended over allegations of electoral misconduct, including violations of the Electoral Act, election compromise and fraud, and abandonment of duty.
The Senate’s decision was sequel to a motion by its Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC Ekiti Central) following the request of President Bola Tinubu through a letter read by the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio during plenary.
Security reports from the National Security Adviser, NSA, Nuhu Ribadu, and the Department of State Services, DSS, had revealed that Dr. Nura Ali was indicted for allegedly compromising the 2023 Presidential and National Assembly elections through incompetence and corruption, confessing to receiving $150,000 from politicians.
Also, Barrister Yunusa Ari was suspended by former President Muhammadu Buhari after unlawfully declaring a governorship election result, an action outside his jurisdiction.
For Prof. Uzochukwu, he was found guilty of mismanaging election logistics, abandoning the Governorship and State Assembly elections, and refusing to reschedule supplementary elections.
Citing Section 157(1) of the Constitution, which allows for the removal of officials based on inability to perform duties or misconduct, the Senate voted with a two-thirds majority to endorse their dismissal.
In line with this resolution, the Senate has directed the Clerk to formally communicate the decision to President Tinubu for implementation.
Before the March 18, 2023 governorship elections, INEC withdrew the REC in Abia, Ike Uzochukwu; and his Sokoto counterpart, Nura Ali, for allegedly endangering the process by bungling logistics and for failing to make declarations for all the National Assembly seats respectively.
