Breaking: Saraki swears in Rivers Senators as Senate adjourns till January

Senate President Bukola Saraki has administered oath of office on Magnus Abe, George Sekibo and Osinakachukwu Ideozu, newly elected senators from Rivers State.

The three lawmakers were elected in the Rivers legislative re-run elections that held on Saturday.

The exercise – still ongoing as results are yet to be known for nine constituencies – was characterized by widespread violence and irregularities.

Mr. Abe represents Rivers South East; Mr. Sekibo; Rivers East; and Mr. Ideozu, Rivers West.

The seats for the three senatorial districts from Rivers State had been vacant since December when the Court Appeal invalidated legislative elections held during the 2015 general elections in the oil rich state.

“They just came from a tough election,” Mr. Saraki said after congratulating the newly sworn in Senators.

Mr. Sekibo (PDP) is in the Senate for the third time, Mr. Abe (APC) the second time and Mr. Ideozu (PDP) is a first time senator.

Meanwhile, the Senate has adjourned sitting till January 10.

The resolution for adjournment was reached after the Senate reconvened Thursday afternoon to approve votes and proceedings of the day.

BREAKING: PDP’s Sekibo wins Rivers east senatorial district

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared George Sekibo, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), winner of the rerun election in Rivers east senatorial district.

 

Oji Ekumankama, returning officer of the election, announced this at council hall, Port Harcourt, venue of the collation, on Monday.

 

He said Sekibo polled 93,098 votes ahead of Andrew Uchendu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who had 34,193 votes.

 

More to follow…

Mutinied Soldiers Deserve Death- Nigerian Senate

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Defence, George Sekibo, said on Tuesday after a closed-door meeting with the nation’s service chiefs in Abuja, that the 12 soldiers sentenced to death for mutiny deserve to die and that they would not plead with the Nigerian Army to spare them.

After a meeting of over 3 hours with the Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh, Sekibo told reporters that, they are not under pressure because the Armed Forces is established by an Act of the National Assembly.

He added that, “The Act spelt out categorically the conduct of soldiers and the way they are to behave wherever they are. If you join the military that Act is to guide you and your conduct. If you go contrary to any of the prescribed sections of the Act the punishment prescribed for the Act you violated will come on you. So the military did not just wake up one day and say that they are going to kill Mr A or Mr B. They went through the necessary processes and they found them guilty”.

He however added that, “those found guilty also have a way out. They can go on appeal and if the appeal finds them not guilty that will be it. But for what the military has done, they have done the best thing because you must instill discipline in the Armed Forces. If you don’t do so one day all of us here will be sacked and you will not hear of this place again.”