INEC is wasting time on a futile exercise – National Assembly

 The Senate on Tuesday adopted a contemptuous position on the recall exercise involving Sen. Dino Melaye (APC, Kogi), saying it will end in futility.

Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu (PDP,!Enugu) in a statement on the issue said the activities of themIndependent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the matter is a waste of precious time.

Ekweremadu was responding to a point of order raised by Melaye over current moves to recall him from the Senate by some of his constituents.

He stated that the matter will eventually become an issue that the senate would have to deliberate and decide upon.

Hear him: “I am wondering why we are dissipating energy on this matter and wasting precious legislative time on a matter we should not. What is happening in Kogi, in respect of Senator Dino Melaye, as far as this constitution is concerned, it is an exercise in futility.

“They are just wasting precious time because the constitution is clear on what should happen.

“It is possible that the Attorney- General of Kogi State has not advised them properly, if he has done that, I am sure they would have applied their time to more meaningful ventures in kogi State.

“The process of recall is the equivalent of impeachment of executive positions. To avoid the abuse of impeachment, they made it very strict; provisions and procedures were made on how impeachment can take place. That is why people are not king that route of removing governors by impeachment.

“On the issue of recall of parliamentarians, Section 69 of the constitution states that in order to ensure protection of those elected, that you have to wait after four years.

“In 2010, this parliament amended the constitution regarding section 69. It states that the number of those who are supposed to have requested his recall, they are supposed to line up somewhere in kogi state with Dino Melaye and his lawyers and each person would verify their signature.

“When they are done with that they go back to Section 68 which states that the President of the Senate receives from the chairman of INEC the recall votes of the member. They would also present evidence satisfactory to the House.

“So they need to come back here and convince each and every one of us that they have done the correct thing. Unless they do that they cannot even give effect to it. So why are we wasting our time. Let us move on and allow them to waste their time.”

The President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki corroborated Ekweremadu saying; “As they say 10 years is no joke in leadership, the deputy president of the senate has explained the processes. 

Let the process speak for itself. I really don’t know why a lot of efforts is being wasted that should have gone into more important things. Eventually it must come back here for us to whether it is satisfactory.”