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Claims that the
Senate removed section 137 (7i) of the 1999 constitution to allow
corrupt officials contest elections are a disservice to senators, the
senate minority leader, Olorunimbe Mamora, said at the weekend in Lagos.

Mr. Mamora said
Nigerians misunderstood the senates’ decision which, he said, was
actually meant to differentiate between indicted officials and
convicted ones.

The section, which
was removed by the senate last week, had stated that a person could not
contest for office if “he has been indicted for embezzlement or fraud
by a Judicial Commission of Inquiry or an Administrative Panel of
Inquiry or a Tribunal set up under the Tribunals of Inquiry Act, a
Tribunals of Inquiry Law or any other law by the Federal or State
Government which indictment has been accepted by the Federal or State
Government, respectively.”

Mr Mamora also blamed the media for not doing enough to educate Nigerians on the issue.

“You people are getting it wrong,” he said.

“What we are saying
is that indictment is not the same thing as conviction. We are just
looking at the experience of 2007; you know, we have what we called
indictment list that was used to exclude some members.

“We have not got it right, but gradually we are going to get it right, as time goes on we will.”

The senate leader
also said the possibility of having a free elections after the
constitution amendment is concluded depends on the players.

“Well. There are so
many parts to having free, fair and credible election, especially in
the governorship and presidential election,” he said. “But as it is
now, with the proposed amendment before the senate, we are not doing
anything along that line. Like asking the NJC, as par the Justice Uwais
report, asking the NJC to screen and make recommendation, we are not
looking in that direction now. That affects section 164 of the code of
conduct … we don’t have that now.”

Get the right workers

Mr. Mamora also
said that whatever the decision of the National Assembly, having a
successful elections involves getting the right individuals to oversee
the process.

“If we are serious,
we should be able to identify individuals, men and women of integrity,
of good records, who can do the job, as oppose to those who are already
compromised,” he said.

“The attitude of
all of us, the politicians, is something else. So, we are also part of
the problem in terms of the capacity not to do the right thing.

“We need to play by the rules, every game have its rules and if we
play by the rules, we will all get there. So that at the end of the day
we can have the right calibre of people at the election management
board.”