By Kassim Omomia
Delays in declaring seats of dead lawmakers vacant to enable the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct bye-elections for their replacements is creating dark memories and moments for constituents and representative democracy, Kassim Omomia and Israel Joel write

Death is inevitable. Perhaps, that is why it is man’s supreme price.

Notwithstanding the certainty of this significant cost, there is an alternative to impermanence, which is life.
In human creation, as it were, it is either one is dead or he is alive.

For the National Assembly, especially the House of Representatives, death does not respect the hallowed green chamber as it has so far taken no fewer than six of its lawmakers since their inauguration in 2019.

The roll call includes Jafaru Auna, Fagen Gawo, Prestige Ossy, Hassan Kila, Haruna Maitala and Aliyu Suleiman Lere.

Though their stay as representatives was short-lived, it did not in any way vitiate the fact that they made numerous contributions to the development of their constituencies.

Whereas the case for their quick replacements is not out of place, vacuums are antithetical to humankind, which is why continuity with valid replacements, in cases where bye-elections may not have been conducted in the various federal constituencies where any member may have died becomes sacrosanct.

In most odd scenarios as it’s being observed, it is curious that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, does not notify the INEC instantly to declare some of the dead men’s seats vacant- in cases where he indeed communicated to the commission.

For example, in the case of the late Suleiman Lere, member who represented Lere federal constituency of Kaduna State and his Plateau State colleague, the late Haruna Maitala, who represented Jos North/ Bassa federal constituency, their matters are so pathetic that months after they passed on, their constituents were neglected and didn’t have a voice, neither did they make inputs into critical national issues that the House dealt with before embarking on its current vacation.

Those who passed on: Jafaru Auna
On December 2, 2019, just six months after the Assembly was inaugurated, the member representing Rijau/Magama federal constituency of Niger State , Jafaru Auna, died.
He was the first lawmaker of the ninth assembly whose death was announced.

Auna was followed by Mohammed Fagen Gawo, 28 days later.

He represented Garki-Babura Federal Constituency of Jigawa State. Gawo died in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). He was aged 74.

Prestige Ossy, member representing Aba North/South, followed suit in February 2021. It was in his case that the House spokesman, Ben Kalu raised the alarm that members were been killed because of pressure from their constituents.

Ossy’s death was reported in a statement signed by his brother, Chukwu Nnanna, alongside the director-general of his campaign office, George Ezikpe. The lawmaker died on February 6, 2021, in Germany, at the age of 56.

Hassan-Kila died barely a month after Ossy. He was the chairman, House Committee on Customs and Excise. He died on Thursday, March 4, 2021, at the National Hospital, Abuja.

Hassan-Kila represented Gwaram federal constituency of Jigawa State and was second federal lawmaker from Jigawa State to die in the current National Assembly. The first was Gawo who died in December 2019.

The fifth member of the House who lost his life was Haruna Maitala from Jos North/Bassa federal constituency. Maitala died with his son Jafaru, a legislative aide, and his driver in an auto crash on his way to Jos from Abuja on April 2nd.

Again, Suleiman Lere from Lere federal constituency of Kaduna State, died four days after Maitala, precisely on April 6 at the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, Kaduna, after a brief illness.
Lere was sworn in by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, in January, after a protracted legal battle over the rightful candidate of the APC in the 2019 general elections.

He was sworn in after the Court of Appeal in Kaduna declared him winner and sacked Lawal Adamu of the PDP who had occupied the seat.

Bye-elections:
On Saturday, February 6, 2021, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) recorded its first major victory in Niger State, defeating the ADC and the PDP in the poll for the Magama/Rijau Federal constituency election.

APGA’s Salihu Salleh polled 22,965 votes to beat his closet challenger, Emmanuel Endoza, of the PDP, who polled 22,507 votes and the ADC candidate, Halilu Yussuf, who scored 316 votes.

By the victory, APGA’s Salleh replaces the late Auna.

In the Gwaram Federal Constituency bye-election, Yusuf Galambi of the APC was declared the winner after the death of Kila.

The Returning Officer, Ahmad Shehu, after collating results from the 248 polling units, declared that Galambi polled 29,372 votes to defeat PDP’s Kamilu Inuwa, who polled 10,047 votes.

“Galambi, having secured the highest number of votes in the bye-election, is hereby declared the winner,” Shehu stated.

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For Babura/Garki federal constituency which left a vacuum following the death of Gawo, it was more or less a family affair as one of his sons, Musa Muhammadu, in the poll held on March 13, floored other contenders. Muhammad of the All Progressives Congress polled 48,218 to emerge winner, beating his strong opponents of the PDP and ADP.

The March 27 bye-election for Aba north/south in Abia State, INEC declared the PDP candidate, Mr. Chimaobi Ebisike, winner.

Unlike the Babura/Garki in Jigawa State where it was more of a family affair, no such consideration was given to the late Ossy Presitge family, where his brother of the Action Alliance Party, Okey Prestige, contested but was beaten by the PDP standard bearer.

Declaring the result, INEC Returning Officer, Prof. Fidelis Okpata of the Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu Alike, Ebonyi State, disclosed that Ebisike polled 10,322 votes to defeat the APC candidate, Mascot Uzor Kalu who got 3,674 votes.

The candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Destiny Nwagwu, polled 1, 554, while Okey Prestige of the Action Alliance candidate scored 199 votes.

Candidates of the APM and NRM scored 10 and 13 votes, respectively.

Lere, Jos North/Bassa in limbo
While bye-elections into four of the federal constituencies had been conducted and their replacements sworn-in, the two other constituencies which lost their representatives have yet to witness any bye-elections.