Gyang Bere, Jos
House of Representatives Chairman, Committee on Business and Rules, Hon. Edward Pwajok (SAN), has charged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to work hard to relieve Nigerians the trauma of inconclusive elections.
Pwajok disclosed this on Saturday during an interview with journalists in Jos. He applauded the judiciary over the ruling on Osun State governorship elections petition tribunal.
“When we resumed in the National Assembly after the governorship election, we discussed this issue of inconclusive elections in most parts of Nigeria.
“I call it a sad development on the Nigerian polity because it is a negative phenomenon. INEC was arguing that their decision to declare some elections inconclusive in some states including Plateau was it was covered by the Electoral Act.
“That is why we in the National Assembly are saying that we need to look at the law again because our role as legislators is strictly making laws.
“Looking at Section 53, Sub-section 3 of the Electoral Act, it says if there is any reason to cancel an election in any polling unit there should be another election.
“When votes are cancelled or there is manipulation of votes to the extent that INEC cannot declare a winner in clear terms based on the list of voters on the register, there will be a supplementary election. As lawmakers, we need to look at the law again so that we will not continue with this trauma of inconclusive elections.”
He lamented that the House and the public were worried because of the indiscriminate cancellation of results that led to inconclusive elections in some states of the federation.
Pwajok said in the case of Bauchi State, the Electoral Act only empowers the presiding officers to cancel elections in polling units if there is clear evidence of over voting and not the court.
“In the case of Bauchi, there is no court of law that actually has the power to stop an election once the process has commenced and when INEC has published the names of candidates to the public; it is not right for the courts to dabble into elections matters.”
During the supplementary election, it was exciting to see a 73-year-old Ngo Asebe Maina to cast her vote in PU 018 at Plateau Hotel Junction in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State.
Ngo Asebe, who stormed the polling unit at about 8:30am using her crutches, said it was necessary for her to come out to exercise her franchise.
“Despite the pains, I consider it necessary to come and exercise my franchise because it is part of my civil obligation.”