Posted by By ISMAIL OMIPIDAN and JAMES OJO, Abuja on
The Senate on Thursday declared that nothing, not even the death of any candidate, could stop the polls from holding as scheduled.
•Reps summon Bayo Ojo over comments
The Senate on Thursday declared that nothing, not even the death of any candidate, could stop the polls from holding as scheduled.
Making this known, in Abuja, on Thursday, Senate's spokesman, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, said that the Senate would do everything within its powers, including amending the Electoral Act, to ensure that the April polls were not shifted.
'We will be engaging the INEC boss regularly these days to keep us abreast of their preparations for elections until the election gets closer. We will be inviting them so as to keep our hands on the situation.
'Nigerians are interested in the elections. And this Senate is also interested in the election holding. The Senate will do everything within its constitutional powers in ensuring that the elections hold.
'In doing that, we may also go back to the Electoral Act. Some discussions are going on already. There is the possibility of further amendment to the Electoral Act, " the Senate spokesman added.
On its part, the House of Representatives on Thursday summoned the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Chief Bayo Ojo, to clarify a statement credited to him.
Summoning Ojo to appear before the Speaker, Aminu Bello Masari on or before Monday, March 12, the House noted that it was dangerous to ignore a statement enough to send wrong signals on the April general elections, coming from the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation.
Ojo, canvassing government position after the meeting of the Council of State on the April election, told State House Correspondents that the time frame of the election was not only short, but also that INEC was finding it difficult to manage the large number of political parties.
The nation, according to the House, is apprehensive about such inflammatory statements coming from a top government official when electioneering was in top gear.
'People keep asking us if there will be election in April. This morning, some members sitting here, who had breakfast with me, were even asking me if the election would still hold. If members are not sure and a statement like this is coming from the chief law officer of the federation, we cannot just ignore it," Masari said.
The Speaker insisted that the public must be convinced that the promise of INEC chairman was not just a ploy to divert attention from the realities on the ground, adding that there was the need to confirm from the attorney-general what informed the statement credited to him.
He therefore, directed the chairman, House Committee on Justice, Hon Alex Nwofe, to summon the minister to his office before Monday, so that he could brief members on Tuesday's plenary session.
Chairman, House Committee on Electoral Matters, Hon Amisu Shira, had informed the House that the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Maurice Iwu, denied attending a the meeting with the attorney-general of the federation, where the problems of time frame was discussed.
Meanwhile, the Action Congress (AC) has warned the Federal Government to immediately stop any plans to postpone next month's general elections for whatever reason.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in Abuja Thursday, AC said it had taken the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Federal Government about four years to prepare for the forthcoming polls and wondered why it had suddenly dawned on them that time was short to print ballot papers and meet other logistics.
'We believe that Bayo Ojo's comment is simply a case of kite-flying, aimed at testing the waters for a possible postponement of the elections, but we hasten to warn that such scheming would do the administration no good, especially since it is already deficient in credibility and integrity," it said.
The party said the scheming being embarked upon by the PDP-led administration was in line with ongoing moves by some unpatriotic elements in the National Assembly, in collusion with the Presidency, to elongate the tenure of the administration at all cost.
It reminded Nigerians that some lawmakers had been reported to be collecting signatures under a plan to push the handover date from 29 May to October 1, all in an effort to extend the tenure of the administration.
'May we remind all concerned that patriotic members of the National Assembly shot down the tenure elongation scheme a long time ago and will not entertain it again through the back door?" AC noted.