Open ballot must be used for election of National Assembly Presiding Officers — Court

Ahead of the inauguration of the 9th National Assembly, an Abuja High Court has granted an interim injunction restraining the Clerk of the National Assembly, the Clerk of the Senate, the Sergeant At Arms to the Senate and others from conducting open secret voting system for the election of Presiding Officers.
The Court directed the Clerk not to rely on or enforce the Senate standing orders 2015 (as amended) in the conduct of election of Presiding Officers of the Senate of the 9th Assembly, pending the determination of this suit.
The Assembly is due for inauguration on Tuesday.
Justice O.A. Musa, who gave the ruling, ordered the Senate to apply its Standing Orders 2011 (as amended) by the Senate on May 24, 2011, which prescribed the use of open ballot rather than secret ballot mode in the election of Presiding Officers.
The order, in suit number FCT/HC/BW/CV/136/2019 with Motion NO M/266/2019, was given after the court read the motion on notice and the accompanying affidavit of Senator Jibrin Barau, filed by his counsel, Ebere Nwanya.
It will be recalled that senators elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress had faulted the use of the Senate Standing Orders 2015 (as amended), which they argued the former leadership of the Senate smuggled in and went ahead to use secret ballot mode for voting without the approval of members.
They argued that the matter is still before the court and therefore the Standing Orders 2015 of the Senate (as amended) cannot be applied in Tuesday’s voting until the matter is decided by the court.

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