Criminals can contest elections, says Nigerian senate
In a dramatic move, the Senate yesterday voted to delete an aspect of the Constitution which prohibits people indicted for various offences from contesting elections.
Ike Ekweremadu, the deputy senate president and the leader of the constitution review committee which made the recommendation argued that if left in the constitution, it can be used by government officials to witch-hunt political opponents.
Mr. Ekweremadu, a lawyer, also argued that other provisions in section 137 of the constitution can adequately cover the intentions of the deleted section. The section, 137 (1), prohibits people who have been indicted for embezzlement or fraud by state or federal panels of enquiry or tribunals from running for presidential office.
During the voting, 90 senators supported that it be deleted while only five senators voted for the retention of the section.
However, typographical errors and omissions prevented the Senate from formally passing the draft after the final reading on Wednesday.
Government of thieves
Various reactions across the country have trailed the vote for the removal of this section.
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http://naijahotbiz.lefora.com/2010/03/25/criminals-can-contest-says-senate/#post0
