On Wednesday, the Senate declined a motion aimed at honoring the late Humphrey Nwosu, former Chairman of the National Electoral Commission, now known as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe (APGA-Abia South) introduced the motion under Senate Orders 41 and 51, but it met resistance from other lawmakers.
When put to a voice vote, the motion was rejected by Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, who presided over the session.
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Frustrated by the outcome, Abaribe expressed confusion over why the motion was deemed controversial.
“Mr. President, I don’t see what is controversial about immortalising Humphrey Nwosu. That is our problem—what exactly is controversial about it?”
However, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele contended that Abaribe did not adhere to the correct procedure, as he was delayed in referencing an additional Senate order.
“Mr President, we had already passed the relevant points in our order of the day. Matters of urgent public importance and personal explanations have a specific timeframe, which had already elapsed,” Bamidele explained.
He added that Abaribe would have to reintroduce the motion properly on the next legislative day as a substantive motion.
Meanwhile, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi (PDP-Kebbi) cautioned against creating a “dangerous precedent” by limiting when senators could make personal explanations.
“Point of Order and Personal Explanation can be raised at any time. We must not deny senators the opportunity to interject or intervene when necessary,” Abdullahi argued.
Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau directly confronted Abaribe, highlighting a contradiction in his stance.
“When you approached me this morning, you mentioned Orders 41 and 51. You never mentioned Order 42. Now, after your motion was defeated, you are changing it to Order 42?” Barau questioned.
The late Nwosu, who oversaw the annulled June 12, 1993, election, served as Chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) from 1989 to 1993.
He passed away on October 24, 2024, at the age of 83, and reports suggest he will be laid to rest on March 28, 2025.
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