Rochas Okorocha, the Imo State governor, was on Thursday absent in a ceremony in which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) presented certificates of return to senators-elect in Abuja.
The presentation to the 100 other senators-elect held at the International Conference Center.
Okorocha’s election as a senator is being reviewed by INEC, following the controversy that trailed his declaration as the winner of the Imo West senatorial election.
The presiding officer said he made the declaration under duress.
It was based on the statement, that the electoral commission removed Okorocha’s name from the list of elected senators, with the electoral umpire saying it is reviewing the situation in the district.
Professor Mahmood Yakubu, INEC Chairman, while congratulating the elected senators, said the electoral body is looking forward to working with them for the good of the country.
The All Progressives Congress (APC), has 62 senators, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won 37 seats, leaving the Young Progressives Party (YPP) with only one seat.
Yakubu urged the senators-elect to begin work early on a new electoral framework.
“I want to appeal to the senators-elect to please start work early and conclude the electoral framework well ahead of the 2023 election,” he said.
He noted that INEC would immediately start its post-election review and road map for 2023.
Amendments to the current electoral act were rejected by President Muhammadu Buhari, who said it was done too close to the 2019 general elections.
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