The member representing Ondo Central Senatorial District at the National
Assembly, Senator Ayo Akinyelure, wept before members of his constituency
in Akure on Monday as he apologised to them that he voted in error to support
the senate resolution backing marriage of underage girls.
Akinyelure was summoned by his constituents to explain his role in the
controversial passage of a resolution to retain the provision of Section 29
(4) (b) of the 1999 Constitution, which states that a married underage girl
is deemed to be an adult.
Politicians, women groups and students had besieged the Adegbemile Hall,
venue of the meeting, with placards to protest against what they described
as the legalisation of sexual abuse of young girls, which their representative had supported.
But Akinyelure burst into tears as he laboured to convince the obviously enraged crowd at the tension-soaked session that he mistakenly pressed the wrong button during the electronic voting exercise thinking that he was voting against child marriage.
The Senator said he had aligned his thought with that of other senators, who supported the resolution that the provision should be expunged from the constitution.
He added that the resolution was paraphrased again in a way that confused him to mean that pressing the ‘No’ button would mean voting against the resolution that the resolution should be retained in the constitution.
He said, “I am very sorry for this costly mistake. I actually voted in error. I pressed the ‘No’ button during the electronic voting session, thinking that I was kicking against the early marriage.I can never support such barbaric and wicked bill.”
...but is the senate seeing this error too?
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