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Friday 27 June 2014

APC, PDP SENATORS IN ROWDY SESSION OVER EKITI ELECTIONS

Senators yesterday engaged in shouting match while trading words over the declaration of Ayo Fayose as governor of Ekiti State in last Saturday’s election. Fayose of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) defeated incumbent Kayode Fayemi in the polls. Trouble started when Senator Andy Uba (PDP, Anambra) who also chairs the Senate committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) raised a point of order citing Order 43 of the Senate standing orders and commended the electoral body for conducting what he described as the most credible election in the country. Senator Uba argued that the conduct of the Ekiti State governorship election by INEC was a departure from previous exercises in the country that were marred by irregularities, and said it was a “tremendous” improvement and commended Fayemi for accepting defeat.However, Senator Babafemi Ojudu (APC, Ekiti) while also relying on the same Order 43 of the Senate Standing Order drew the attention of the senate that the Senator does not have the moral standing to shower praises on INEC because his brother Chief Chris Uba had led the police to cause havoc during the exercise in the state. “My colleague (Andy Uba) had already read Order 43, I don’t need to repeat it. I will like to commend the governor-elect of Ekiti State and my governor for accepting the result of the election. But I want to say here Mr. President that my colleague who stood here to talk, his younger brother Chris Uba led police to the hotel and smashed all the doors of the hotel.., Ojudu said. Ojudu was however, disrupted by PDP Senators led by Philip Aduda (PDP, FCT) and Smart Adeyemi (PDP, Kogi) who jeered him insisting that he sits down. This threw the chamber into rowdy session for some minutes with tempers going high between APC and PDP senators after which deputy senate president Ike Ekweremadu who presided over the sitting asked Ojudu to read Order 43 and reminded him (Ojudu) that the said order prohibits discussing any controversial issue. Ekweremadu then ruled Ojudu out of order and further commended INEC for what he described as “job well done” and implored the commission to do better in the forthcoming 2015 general elections.

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