PH
Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu has lambasted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for allegedly flouting the constitution by conducting various election reruns later than 30 days after elections have been nullified by courts.
According to a Vanguard report, Ekweremadu also faulted the courts for not adhering to stipulations set out in the constitution, saying that a comprehensive review should be made into electoral process and their compliance with constitutional regulations.
“In the Constitution, where a vacancy occurs in the parliament, that vacancy ought to be filled by INEC within 30 days but I have situations where courts give judgments and order that elections should take place within 90 days, clearly outside the 30 days prescribed by the constitution.
“To complicate the matter, INEC sometimes goes beyond the 90 days as ordered by the courts and still hold these elections. So there are so many issues to be resolved in our Electoral Act and if we take them by piecemeal, we are going to miss the point.
“I believe that it is time for us to liaise with INEC, the judiciary, and our appropriate Committees to propose a comprehensive review to our Electoral Act and even those matters relating to elections that are provided for in the constitution. That will be the legacy this present National Assembly will be able to deliver to the people of Nigeria,” Ekweremadu stated.
The Deputy Senate President also called for synergy between the National Assembly, INEC and the judiciary in order to achieve fair elections across all states.
