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.”
Culled from Punch
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