Lumumba Appeals To INEC Chairman To Conduct Bye Election Into Irigwe/ Rukuba Constituency

Yakubu Busari

A former member of the House of Representatives, Hon Lumumba Dah Adeh has expressed concern over the long delay by INEC to conduct a bye-election into Irigwe -Rukuba state constituency.

Lumumba Adah stated this in a press statement made available to this medium on Friday in Jos.

He said, “We the constituents had hinged our hopes on the constitutional provisions to prepare for a bye-election within the stipulated time only to soon realize that your commission was not willing to immediately help fill the vacancy”.

According to the statement,”it is obvious that not conducting the bye-election has deprived our constituency of representation and its benefits”.

He appealed to the Chairman, of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Abuja to fast-track the dateline of the bye-election into Irigwe Rukuba constituency.                                            

See Full Statement Below    

RE: IRIGWE/RUKUBA STATE CONSTITUENCY VACANT SEAT

Hon Lumumba Adah Adeh says, “May I draw the attention of Mr. Chairman to the above subject matter and to also note that it has remained vacant for well over six months now.

You will recall that this is also a part of the Bassa/Jos North federal constituency which had suffered a similar fate only this year when we waited for almost one year for a bye- election (held on February 28, 2022) to fill up the vacant seat after the death of our member in April, 2021″.

We are however not unaware that force majeure could cause a delay or inhibit your constitutional duties. But I note with all sense of responsibility that insecurity which could have been a ready excuse was not tenable because the constituency and indeed the state has enjoyed relative peace and calm since 2021; hence the peaceful and successful conduct of the Bassa/Jos North federal constituency election in February 2022.

This delay and its attendant deprivation have caused us the constituents a lot of concern and pain which has led to a high level of apprehension in view of the realization that the conduct of a bye-election may soon become constitutionally out of time.

Unless there is any reason which the INEC needs to tell the world, we call on Mr Chairman to use his good offices to cause for the Irigwe/Rukuba State constituency bye-election to be conducted soonest please.