Huriwa Asks Inec To Conduct Okigwe Senate's Byelection:

"From every indications, the current hierarchy of the Independent National Electoral commission headed by Mr Mahmood Yakubu is bent on scuttling the constitutionally guaranteed dividends of democracy such as benefitting from the strategic governmental interventions and developmental projects legally budgeted meant for the millions of prople who are the citizens of Nigeria and constituents of Okigwe Senatorial Zone that has been without a Senatorial representation at the National Assembly in Abuja since after the unfortunate sudden death of the then substantive Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu in December last year".

With this thematic summation, the foremost Civil Rights Advocacy group-: HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has given the Independent National Electoral commission headed by Mr Mahmood Yakubu one working week to publish the date for the election to replace the late Senator for Okigwe Senatorial zone or be ready to face a range of either civil Protests at the headquarters of the commission in Maitama or multiple litigation to be instituted by the civil society community in Okigwe and the nation's capital.

"We don't get it that each time that a vacancy occurs in Okigwe zone the present leadership of the Independent National Electoral commission headed by Mr Mahmood Yakubu is often insensitive to the yearnings of the millions of constituents of Okigwe Senatorial zone and would simply not conduct another election so the people will enjoy their Constitutionally guaranteed fundamental human rights as citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria but once it is another zone in the North the Northern dominated INEC will very rapidly organise quick BYELECTION to give the Northerners the opportunity to benefit from the Commonwealth of Nigeria through the legitimate activities of the representatives at the National Assembly but once it is in the South East of Nigeria the Independent National Electoral commission headed by Mr Mahmood Yakubu considers Ndigbo as persons not worthy of enjoying equity and equality of rights as citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This toxic policy of marginalization by the Yakubu Mahmood led INEC must be challenged."

"Benjamin Uwajumogu elected and inaugurated in May to represent Okigwe as the Senator representing Imo North Senatorial District, Benjamin Uwajumogu, died around December 17th 2019. His death was confirmed to journalists outside the Senate chamber on Wednesday 17th December 2019 by the Senator representing Imo West Senatorial District, Rochas Okorocha. He was said to have slumped in the toilet while taking his bath and rushed to a private hospital in Apo, Abuja where he died. He had since been buried. Yet INEC treats Okigwe people as political orphans only because he is a hard core Northern apologist and an unrepentant Northern irredentist who hates Ndigbo with a deadly passion."

HURIWA recalled that the late Senator, Uwajumogu, who was first elected into the senate in 2017, was reelected in 2019.

He was the speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly between 2011 and 2015. Until his death, he was the senate committee chairman on Labour and employment. He hailed from the Ihitte/Uboma Local Government Area of Imo state. The undue delay to conduct another election is another manifestation of the hatred of Ndigbo by the Yakubu Mahmood led INEC. We in the HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF (NIGERIA) is by this statement demanding that within the next one week, that Yakubu Mahmood the hater of Christians and Ndigbo should publish the date of the election so the constituency of Okigwe does not continue to be neglected by the Federal government of Nigeria through a deliberate non-conduct of legitimate election. It appears the electoral Commission is allowing the Imo State governor and the APC to complete their arguments and battles on whether the former Senator of Okigwe Mr. Ararume who jumps from APGA, PDP and APC is allowed to contest or the Wife or Sister of the late Senator. There is no reason for this delay since this same INEC has already conducted other elections notably in the North such as in Katsina and Bauchi states and INEC is planning to go ahead with the Edo governorship poll. Why is Okigwe not been considered and why do we have to embark on civil protests before our human rights as citizens are upheld?"

HURIWA said the failure of INEC to conduct another election to enable the people of Okigwe Senatorial zone to elect their Senator is a gross violation of Section 4 of the 1999 Constitution which provides thus: "4(1) The legislative powers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be vested in a National Assembly for the Federation which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives.

(2) The National Assembly shall have power to make laws for the peace, order and good government of the Federation or any part thereof with respect to any matter included in the

Exclusive Legislative List set out in Part I of the Second Schedule to this Constitution.

(3) The power of the National Assembly to make laws for the peace, order and good government of the Federation with respect to any matter included in the Exe-lusive Legislative

List shall, save as otherwise provided in this Constitution, be to the exclusion of the Houses of Assembly of States.

(4) In addition and without prejudice to the powers conferred by subsection (2) of this section, the National Assemhly shall have power to make laws with respect to the following matters, that is to say-

(a) any matter in the Concurrent Legislative List set out in the first column of Part II of the Second Schedule to this Constitution to the extent prescribed in the second column opposite thereto; and

(b) any other matter with respect to which it is empowered to make laws in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.

(5) If any Law enacted by the House of Assembly of a State is inconsistent with any law validly made by the National Assembly, the law made by the National Assembly shall prevail, and that other Law shall to the extent of the inconsistency be void.

(6) The legislative powers of a State of the Federation shall be vested in the House of Assembly of the State.

(7) The House of Assembly of a State shall have power to make laws for the peace, order and good government of the State or any part thereof with respect to the following matters, that is to say-

(a) any matter not included in the Exclusive Legislative List set out in Part I of the Second Schedule to this Constitution;

(b) any matter included in the Concurrent Legislative List set out in the first column of Part II of the Second Schedule to this Constitution to the extent prescribed in the second column opposite thereto; and

(c) any other matter with respect to which it is empowered to make laws in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.

(8) Save as otherwise provided by this Constitution, the exercise of legislative powers by the National Assembly or by a House of Assembly'shail be subject to the jurisdiction of courts of law and of judicial tribunals established by law, and accordingly, the National Assembly or a House of Assembly shall not enact any law that ousts or purports to oust the

jurisdiction of a court of law or of a judicial tribunal established by law.

(9) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this section, the National Assembly or a House of Assembly shall not, in relation to any criminal offence whatsoever, have power to make any law which shall have retrospective effect."