President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday got the nod of the Senate to sack the Resident Electoral Commissioners in charge of Sokoto, Abia, and Adamawa States.
The Senate approval on Wednesday followed Tinubu’s request for its approval to terminate the appointments of the three RECs.
The Senate request came after the voice vote during the plenary.
The affected RECs include: Dr. Nura Ali (Sokoto); Barr. Hudu Yunusa Ari (Adamawa State and Prof.Ikemefuna Chijioke Uzochukwu (Abia)
The resolution of the Senate followed its consideration and approval of a motion moved by Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, during plenary.
Tinubu had earlier in a letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio urged the Senate to approve the termination of the appointments of the RECs who had been on suspension since 2023.
Bamidele in his lead debate said: “Senate: Aware of an Executive Communication from Mr. President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federation, requesting the Senate to invoke Section 157 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, to formally terminate the appointment of Dr. Nura Ali (Sokoto State Resident Electoral Commissioner); Barr. Hudu Yunusa Ari (Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner) and Prof. Ikemefuna Chijioke Uzochukwu (Abia State Resident Electoral Commissioner), respectively;
“Also aware that the aforementioned Resident Commissioners were earlier suspended in 2023, bordering on allegations of infractions of Electoral Act; compromise of elections and abandonment of duty without cogent reasons.
“Notes from security reports from the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Department of State Services that Dr. Nura Ali was indicted for compromising the 2023 Presidential and National Assembly elections through acts of incompetence and corruption, whereby he reportedly confessed to having received the sum of $150,000 from politicians upon investigation by the DSS;
“Barr. Hudu Yunusa Ari was suspended by former President Muhammad Buhari after a prima facie case was instituted against him for usurping the power of the Returning Officer to declare the governorship election result; and Prof. Ikemefuna Chijioke Uzochukwu was suspended for undermining election processes by mishandling of logistics and abandonment Governorship and State Assembly elections as well as his refusal to rescheduled Supplementary elections;
“Aware that by virtue of the provisions of section 157 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, which stipulates that: “…a person holding any of the offices to which this section applies may only be removed from that office by the President acting on an address supported by two-thirds majority of the Senate praying that he be so removed for inability to discharge the functions of the office whether arising from infirmity of mind or body or any other cause) or for misconduct”, the Senate is empowered to embark on this legislative process, which is aimed at setting the stage for the eventual removal of the suspended Resident Electoral Commissioners;
“Also aware that the Independent National Electoral Commission is one of the offices mentioned in Subsection (2) of the aforementioned provision of the Constitution.
“Accordingly, it is apt for the Senate to invoke and activate the provision of Section 157 (1) of the Constitution to remove the suspended Resident Electoral Commissioners in line with the resolve of the 10th Senate to uphold the rule of law and sustain the ideals of morality and the tenets of corporate governance in Nigeria,
“Accordingly resolves to: Invoke and activate the constitutional provision as enshrined in section 157 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, by forwarding an address, supported by a two-thirds majority of the Senate to be acted upon by Mr. President for the official removal of Dr. Nura Ali (Sokoto State Resident Electoral Commissioner); Barr. Hudu Yunusa Ari (Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner); Prof. Ikemefuna Chijioke Uzochukwu (Abia State Resident Electoral Commissioner), respectively.
The Senate approved the prayer of the motion to terminate the appointments of the three RECS when it was put to voice vote by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during the plenary.
