The Senate today has condemned the role of the military in the just-concluded elections and also urged President Muhammadu Buhari to give his assent to the Electoral Act.
The Senate made the resolutions during today’s plenary which was chaired by Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki.
Many Senators spoke on the militarization of the Nigerian Electoral Process and the inconsistent application of the electoral laws by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) brought to the floor by Senator Dino Melaye.
Senate Leader, Senator Ahmed Lawan stated “The essence of having a legislator is to ensure we provide intervention in smoothing governance in order to ensure fairness in all affairs. The electoral process remains a journey, it requires a lot of fine tuning. We need to meet with INEC to get a panoramic view of the situation.”
In her own remark, Senator Olujimi stated “We are Nigerians and we are in Nigeria. What is wrong is wrong. This election was a sham. INEC parameters were different in different states. There is no wrong that can validate the other. We need to look at our electoral process. Rigging and vote buying was the order of the day. The legislator needs to look into this.”- Senator Biodun Olujimi.
“I want to commend the House of Representatives who took the bull by the horn and discussed it. I also commend the Chief of Army Staff for he saw that all allegations were looked into by setting up a committee to handle all issues.” Senator Mao Ohuabunwa
Senate resolved to:
I. Condemn the massive use of military forces in the national electoral process of the nation.
II. Urge the INEC to ensure the unrestricted and consistent application of all electoral laws without bias to a candidate or a party in all elections.
III. Direct the Senate Committee on INEC to investigate all perceived inconsistent application of electoral laws by INEC in the 2019 elections.
IV. Urge the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to give assent to the recent amendment to the Electoral Act to ensure a level playing field and adoption of equal standards in our national elections for a strong and peaceful democracy in Nigeria.
