Posted by By Bashir Umar, Abuja on
The Senate Wednesday engaged in a rather dramatic admission of its stinking image with a large number of senators saying that they have criminals among them.
The Senate Wednesday engaged in a rather dramatic admission of its stinking image with a large number of senators saying that they have criminals among them.
Speaking at the second reading on the Electoral Bill, some senators pointedly said: "Some of us are criminals, 419ners, electoral thieves, ex-convicts and fraudsters."
Former Assistant Inspector-General (AIG) of Police, Senator Nuhu Aliyu, led the Senate-purging group of crusaders Wednesday when he expressed disappointment that "there are many of my colleagues here who I had detained for criminal offences. Unfortunately, I found myself with them in the National Assembly."
Supporting Aliyu, Senator Umaru Ibrahim Tsauri (Katsina Central) said "most of us came here through electoral malpractices". Some of the senators reacted by shouting "aha…aha…aha", while others hailed him. Not deterred, Tsauri said: "Anybody who says ‘aha' is one of them".
Tsauri also emphasized that "this (electoral) bill is very important, so we should be careful not to pass a bill that will not be returned to us by the Executive, a similar case with the EFCC bill".
In his contribution, Senator Ifeanyi Ararume (Okigwe Senatorial District), Imo State, suggested that elections should be staggered because there are too many difficult terrains in the country, using the Niger Delta as a case in point, where results always come late.
Reflecting on the commercialization of politics in Nigeria, Senator Ararume noted that the sum of money donated to a candidate is what must be banned and not the amount spent by the candidate.
He also suggested that withdrawal of candidates should have time limit, just as the parties and individual withdrawals.
Senator Victor Oyofo (Edo North) agreed with Ararume's view on staggering of elections, in order that people's minds should be disabused from the belief that election seasons are money-making periods, which smacks of corrupt tendencies.
In his submission, Senator Mohammed Abba Aji (Borno Central) noted with dismay that the Electoral Act "shows that we are more interested in loopholes rather than the spirit of the law, because when there are no loopholes, we tend to create one", reminding his colleagues that "a law is as good as those who operate it and the commitment of the people to obey it".
Also addressing a perceived loophole in the Electoral Bill, Senator Ndoma Egba Victor warned the Senate not to place time limit on petitions as, according to him, courts will see it as interference in the judicial functions.
President of the Court of Appeal, he said, should be allowed to make such regulations. He also submitted that Nigerians in the Diaspora and prisoners should be allowed to vote.
Adjourning its sitting till Tuesday, next week, the Senate referred the Electoral Bill to its committee on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deliberate thoroughly and report back in the next two months.