Is This A Grand Conspiracy To Deny Buruku Fed Constituency Fair Representation At NASS.

URUKU YOUTH VISIONARY MOVEMENT
Buruku LGA Headquarters
Benue State
PRESS RELEASE

The grand conspiracy to deny the people of Buruku Federal Constituency fair representation at the House of
Representatives at the National Assembly .The Buruku Youth Visionary Movement is seriously concerned that the Buruku Federal Constituency bye-election that was scheduled
for August 23rd, 2014 has been suspended indefinitely.


This is after the election initially slated for July 19, 2014 had earlier been shifted to the new date of August 23rd, only to be suspended again! We recall that the Supreme Court had on the 30th of May 2014 ordered that the Buruku Federal Constituency seat at the House of Representatives be vacated by Hon. Emmanuel Orker-Jev and that a fresh election be conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the Constituency within 90 days. On the 18th day of June, Mr. Sekav Iyortyom who fought Hon. Emmanuel Orker-Jev in court re-approached the Supreme Court and
asked the apex Court to review the case and declare him the winner of the 2011 election.

According to him, the SC erred in its May 30th judgment even though their Lordships’ judgment was based on Section 141 of the Electoral Act (as amended), which states that an individual has to have participated in
the full electoral process to be declared
winner of the said election.

On the 7th day of August 2014, Barrister S. T. Hon, counsel to Hon. Orker-Jev's, wrote the INEC requesting for stay of action from the Commission on the conduct of the bye- election pending the determination of the request for judicial review at the Supreme
Court by Mr. Sekav Iyortyom.

On the 15th day of August 2014, INEC
released a statement announcing the date for the conduct of the bye-elections (which announcement was published in The Nation and Daily Trust Newspapers on August 23,
2014). All materials for the said election were sent out and staff trained and deployed for the conduct of the excercise.

In a surprising U-turn and in blatant
disregard to the order by the nation’s Apex court, the INEC Legal team on the 20th day of August wrote to Yusuf Ali, counsel to Mr. Sekav Iyortyom, and Barr. S.T. Hon, counsel to Mr. Orker Jev (who incidentally was not
participating in this election) to announce the indefinite postponement of this election based on the mere letter written to them on August the 7th by counsel to Hon Orker Jev.

Up till date, there is no letter from INEC to the PDP or to the Labour Party (LP)
candidates announcing the shift in the date of the election. There has surprisingly been no press statement or press release to the effect either. This is the same INEC that when postponing the senatorial bye-election in NIGER state, advertised in most of the
national dailies. It is our strong suspicion that some fraudulent individuals are trying to connive
and frustrate the giant strides being made by the INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega and his team.

Our questions are: Why has the legal
department of INEC chosen to disregard the ruling of the Supreme Court? Who has given
the former member representing Buruku the authority to brag that no election will take place as long as INEC is involved without him?
Again, if the Supreme Court gave a ruling, can the Legal department of INEC shift the election based on an application for judicial review? Why did it take two months to make a decision given that the application for review was made on the 18th day of
July? Moreover no date has been set for the election.
We draw the attention of the Commission and Nigerians to the provisions of Section 235 of the constitution, which states that the
Supreme Court has finality in all such
matters and therefore their powers should not be usurped by any official or their accomplices.
It is also surprising that the INEC legal
department has refused to explain why this decision of indefinite suspension has been taken in spite of the ruling by the Nations Apex court.
It is obvious that some forces have connived to deny the good people of Buruku their right to have a voice in the Federal House of Representatives even after the Supreme Court has ruled in the favour of the people of Buruku.
We the members of Buruku Youth Visionary Movement have therefore chosen not to fold our hands and watch our people disenfranchised. For over three months, the people of Buruku have had no representation in the Federal House of representatives. This cannot be allowed to continue any longer.
We therefore urge the electoral umpire,
INEC, to conduct the bye-election without further delay. All we want is a
representative at the National Assembly.
LONG LIVE THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA,
LONG LIVE BURUKU FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY


SIMON AONDONA
Coordinator
September 2nd, 2014