By Jennifer Omiloli
Independent National Electoral Commission will Thursday at the International Conference Center in Abuja issue certificate of returns to winners of the February 23 National Assembly election.
This is coming as INEC panel that investigated the impasse in Rivers state during March 9 election is expected to submit its report the same day.
According to information made available by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the 102 Senators-elect will be issued with their certificates today by 10am while the 338 Members of House of Representatives-elect will be issued theirs by 2pm also same day.
Record from the Commission indicates that in the National Assembly polls the APC has 63 seats in the Senate, while PDP has 38 and YPP One (1).
Seven seats have been declared inconclusive and will be contested for in the rerun election slated for 23rd March.
Rivers state has two Senate seats that will be contested during the supplementary election while Abia, Imo, Kogi, Ondo, and Plateau have one seat each.
One of the senators-elect from Bauchi state will not be issued with a certificate of return due to a court order over who is the authentic winner of the party’s primary election.
INEC has already indicated that it will not issue a certificate of return to the embattled governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha over a report by the INEC Returning Officer that he declared the governor winner of the senatorial election under duress.
In the House of Representatives, the result indicates that the APC has 211 members-elect to PDP’s 111. Other political parties picked a total of 16 seats-APGA secured 6, ADC 3, Action Alliance 2, Peoples Redemption Party – 2, African Democratic Party- one, Allied Peoples Movement -one and Social Democratic Party-one.
There are, however, 24 seats still up for grabs, in the rescheduled rerun election scheduled for March 23. With six slots, Lagos state has the highest number of House of Representatives seats that will be contested during the supplementary election followed by Rivers with five seats.
Three seats will be conducted in Niger state while two will be contested in Anambra, Benue, Imo and Kaduna states. Certificate of return will not be issued to eight House of Representatives-elect as a result of Court orders. Niger state has the highest number in this category with three court orders. Anambra, Cross River, Gombe, Kaduna, and Kano have one court order each stopping INEC from issuing a certificate of return to winners of the election over contentious party primaries.
