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NASS REPUBLIC: Gbajabiamila’s worries over 2023 polls. Two other stories, and a quote to remember

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Last week, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, expressed deep worries over the possibility of conducting a hitch-free election in every part of the country owing to insecurity.

We tracked two other stories from the National Assembly (NASS) within the week under review.

1. Gbajabiamila’s election worries

On January 17, Speaker Gbajabiamila said it was nearly impossible to conduct elections in every part of the country due to worrying security challenges.

Gbajabiamila, who stated this while addressing House members on the resumption of legislative activities for the new year, decried the incidences of insecurity capable of scuttling the successful conduct of 2023 elections.

“The security landscape presents worrying challenges to the political stakeholders and the country. Under the present circumstances, it is nearly impossible to conduct a hitch-free election in every part of the country. As a result, INEC is preparing itself for supplementary elections in areas where voting might not hold due to violence,” he noted.

Gbajabiamila’s worries signal possible future problems with the coming elections, and amplify the concerns of other Nigerians who have already expressed the same worries, with some quietly seeking a postponement of the elections.

Disappointing enough, the development indicates the failure of the Nigerian state to restore peace across the country.

Gbajabiamila’s apprehensions should challenge President Muhammadu Buhari to find lasting solutions in the troubled areas to ensure that his promise of a credible election is not thwarted.

Whether he would succeed or not is debatable. However, a good starting point would be to ensure security of INEC facilities across the country.

NASS MEMORY LANE

Who said;

“I am disappointed that our politics here is riddled with a lot of errors. The country has been able to nurture hegemonic cliques inhabited by the two dominant parties (APC and PDP) in the country. we have to break the chain of hegemony in order to make Nigeria work. The country lags behind due to the politics of godfatherism.”

Answer: See end of post

Two other stories

2. Nnamani’s travails
NASS REPUBLIC: As Nnamani cautions IPOB. Two other stories, and a quote to remember

The Senator representing Enugu East Senatorial District, Chimaroke Nnamani, on January 21, rejected the suspension by his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying that constitutional procedures were not followed in suspending him for alleged anti-party activities.

READ ALSO:NASS REPUBLIC: Lawan’s lamentations. Two other stories, and a quote to remember

“I was never at any time notified of any petition or complaint against me or informed of the grounds that formed the decision of the NWC of the PDP to suspend me from the party. I was not also invited to any meeting, proceeding or hearing of the NWC of the party where my supposed offence(s) was/were discussed,” Nnamani said.

His suspension may not have come as a surprise to many, even as the order reinforces the supremacy of a political party over its members.

The Senator, it must be said, had been quite vocal in his support for rival party candidates, especially that of APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Thus, his suspension could be interpreted as a move by the PDP to let go of a black sheep within its fold.

How the former Enugu State Governor extricates himself from the quagmire in the days ahead will, no doubt, make an interest read.

3. Lawan’s claim

On January 17, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, claimed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been given everything it needs to conduct a credible election, and thus, would have zero excuse to disappoint Nigerians.

Lawan made the claim during the Senate’s plenary, in Abuja, in reaction to the INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu’s complaints on the growing attack on the commission’s facilities across the country.

“INEC has got everything it has asked for, from the legislature, to aid the conduct of a credible election, and as such excuses will not be condoned. The security agencies have also assured everyone that the environment will be safe and secure for citizens to go out and cast their votes without any hindrances,” Lawan said.

Lawan’s claims smell of absolutism, as many would testify that the objective conditions do not suggest that INEC is in total control of the operating environment.

Indeed, his loose claims are totally at variance with the observations made by his counterpart, Gbajabiamila, who acknowledges that the level of insecurity in the country could overwhelm INEC.

If anything, Lawan should be heavily knocked for grandstanding and pretending that all is well.

Answer: Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe

Abaribe made the statement when he featured on an Arise TV interview on June 18, 2022. He is a former Minority Leader of the Senate.

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