The Senate has confirmed Prof. Attahiru Jega and six other nominees as Chairman and members of the Independent National Electoral Commission respectively, with a solemn charge to conduct a free and fair election in 2011.
Although Jega was screened on Wednesday for about four hours, he had to wait for the screening of the others on Thursday before he was confirmed.
Besides Jega, the members confirmed were Dr. Nuru Yakubu, Mrs. Thelma Iremiren, Prof. Olayiwola Olurode, Dame Gladys Nne Nwafor, Col. Hanamga Kurmi (rtd.) and Dr. Ishmael Igbani (reappointment).
President of the Senate, David Mark, said the nominees had repeatedly promised to uphold the tenets of the Constitution and the Electoral Law and urged them to abide by their promise.
“They need to be fair, they need to be transparent and they need to conduct a free and fair election in 2011,” he said.
The confirmation of Mrs. Amina Zakari and Abdulkadir Oniyangi was not possible, as they were not screened because their curriculum vitae were not made available to the Senate.
Mark said they would be screened as soon as their CVs were presented to the Senate by the Presidency.
The doors to the offices were crossed with two white tapes in the style usually adopted by security agents when sealing off a crime scene. On the two tapes was an inscription boldly written ”Sealed.”
The suspended members are Mr. Dino Melaye; Mr. Anas Adamu; Mr. Ehiogie West-Idahosa; Mr. Independence Ogunewe; Mr. Solomon Awhinawhin; Mr. Austin Nwachukwu; Mr. Gbenga Oduwaiye; Mr. Gbenga Onigbogi; Mr. Kayode Amusan; Mr. Bitrus Kaze; and Ms. Doris Udoh.
One of the suspended lawmakers (Nwachukwu) was arraigned before a Chief Magistrates Court, Wuse in Abuja, for illegal possession of tear gas and causing grievous bodily harm to fellow lawmakers.
His arraignment took place shortly after the Peoples Democratic Party met with the Speaker of the House, Mr. Dimeji Bankole and demanded an apology from the House to Nigerians over the fracas.
The party, which described the Tuesday incident as a shame, added that it would also invite the suspended lawmakers.
It was learnt that the key to the offices of the suspended House members were changed. Most of their aides who reported for work on Wednesday were seen loitering at level 2 of the New building of the National Assembly Complex.
One of the aides claimed that the offices were sealed on Tuesday night on the ” directive of the leadership of the House.”
The aide said, ”They should have allowed us to pick our personal effects. They were supposed to seal the offices in our presence so that at least we could have taken inventory of the items in there.
”As it is now, I cannot say what they took or did not take.”
Under Order 10 of the Standing Orders of the House, a member can be "suspended from the service of the House.”
The order, however, does not clarify whether suspension also means that the affected person is barred from having access to his office.
Ogunewe was suspended before in 2008 but he had access to his office.
Full story here
Although Jega was screened on Wednesday for about four hours, he had to wait for the screening of the others on Thursday before he was confirmed.
Besides Jega, the members confirmed were Dr. Nuru Yakubu, Mrs. Thelma Iremiren, Prof. Olayiwola Olurode, Dame Gladys Nne Nwafor, Col. Hanamga Kurmi (rtd.) and Dr. Ishmael Igbani (reappointment).
President of the Senate, David Mark, said the nominees had repeatedly promised to uphold the tenets of the Constitution and the Electoral Law and urged them to abide by their promise.
“They need to be fair, they need to be transparent and they need to conduct a free and fair election in 2011,” he said.
The confirmation of Mrs. Amina Zakari and Abdulkadir Oniyangi was not possible, as they were not screened because their curriculum vitae were not made available to the Senate.
Mark said they would be screened as soon as their CVs were presented to the Senate by the Presidency.
House crisis deepens, suspended members’ offices sealed
Meanwhile the crisis in the House of Representatives has deepened as the offices of 11 members suspended on Tuesday have been sealed.The doors to the offices were crossed with two white tapes in the style usually adopted by security agents when sealing off a crime scene. On the two tapes was an inscription boldly written ”Sealed.”
The suspended members are Mr. Dino Melaye; Mr. Anas Adamu; Mr. Ehiogie West-Idahosa; Mr. Independence Ogunewe; Mr. Solomon Awhinawhin; Mr. Austin Nwachukwu; Mr. Gbenga Oduwaiye; Mr. Gbenga Onigbogi; Mr. Kayode Amusan; Mr. Bitrus Kaze; and Ms. Doris Udoh.
One of the suspended lawmakers (Nwachukwu) was arraigned before a Chief Magistrates Court, Wuse in Abuja, for illegal possession of tear gas and causing grievous bodily harm to fellow lawmakers.
His arraignment took place shortly after the Peoples Democratic Party met with the Speaker of the House, Mr. Dimeji Bankole and demanded an apology from the House to Nigerians over the fracas.
The party, which described the Tuesday incident as a shame, added that it would also invite the suspended lawmakers.
It was learnt that the key to the offices of the suspended House members were changed. Most of their aides who reported for work on Wednesday were seen loitering at level 2 of the New building of the National Assembly Complex.
One of the aides claimed that the offices were sealed on Tuesday night on the ” directive of the leadership of the House.”
The aide said, ”They should have allowed us to pick our personal effects. They were supposed to seal the offices in our presence so that at least we could have taken inventory of the items in there.
”As it is now, I cannot say what they took or did not take.”
Under Order 10 of the Standing Orders of the House, a member can be "suspended from the service of the House.”
The order, however, does not clarify whether suspension also means that the affected person is barred from having access to his office.
Ogunewe was suspended before in 2008 but he had access to his office.
Full story here
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