BREAKING: Senate Rejects Motion to Immortalise Late NEC Chairman Humphrey Nwosu

There was a disagreement on the floor of the Senate, on Wednesday, when the Red Chamber, rejected a motion seeking to immortalise the late Chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), Professor Humphrey Nwosu.

It was Nwosu, who conducted the June 12, 1993 presidential election won by the late Chief MKO Abiola but annulled by the military junta of Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida.

The Senator representing Abia South Senatorial District, Enyinnaya Abaribe, had raised a point of order to bring a motion on the late Nwosu and the June 12, 2023 presidential election.

The Deputy Senate President, Senator Jibrin Barau, who presided over the plenary, put a question on whether Abaribe should proceed with the motion or not and the senators voted against it.

Attempt by Abaribe to raise another point of order to present the motion again was rebuffed by the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, who said it was wrong to bring up an issue that had been ruled upon.

The Deputy Senate President upheld the point of order raised by the Senate Leader, and the development drew the anger of Abaribe.

A former Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi, warned the presiding officer against trying to be dictotarial in his approach to issues.

Abdullahi said, “This particular kind of thing can aim to deny members an opportunity to raise points of order and also to express personal opinions.

“We are trying to set a bad precedent if your decision is upheld. Personal matters will no longer be raised under order 10 and we thereby truncate the independence of senators.

“This is because we will not allow them to interject in the senate to raise issues that are very essential and fundamental to them and their constituencies.

“Therefore, I think with all due respect the position that is advocated by our distinguished leader is not correct.”

Barau then ruled that Senator Abaribe could bring up the matter through a proper motion by liaising with the Committee on Rules and Business in the next legislative day.

However, Abaribe disagreed with the ruling of the Deputy Senate President and insisted that senators were allowed to raise point of order at any period during plenary.

“The senate shall by resolution regulate its procedure. So even if the senate leader says that it doesn’t follow by the fact that a senator wants to make a personal explanation you must give that senator a chance to make that personal explanation.

“We are not under a dictatorship, Mr. President. It’s at your discretion Mr. President because if at your discretion you say we can’t talk, so be it.”

Barau told Abaribe that he should have discussed with him first before bringing up a controversial issue, but Abaribe said, “Mr. President I don’t know what is controversial for immortalising Humphrey Nwosu and June 12. What is controversial there?”

The Senator had in his motion, proposed the renaming of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after the late Nwosu, among other prayers.