From Vanguard...
THE Senator representing Ondo
Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly Senator, Ayo Akinyelure
wept profusely publicly for being the only senator from the South-West that
supported the inclusion of under age girl marriage in the constitution.
Sensing the anger of leaders of
the councils he represents in the Senate, who summoned him to explain his
action, the senator prostrated, wept and begged them that he voted for “the
amendment in error.”
Senator Akinyelure said: “I voted
in error. I can never in my life support under age marriage. Whatever this
might have caused my people, please, forgive me.
“I will do whatever is humanly
possible at my disposal to ensure that this thing is removed from the
constitution.”
Condemnations have greeted the votes
against the constitutional ammendment, which would have set marriageable age
for women at 18.
Stakeholders and leaders,
especially women across the six council areas in Ondo Central Senatorial
District were irked that he was the only senator in the South West zone that
supported what they termed the “inhuman decision.”
The meeting, which held at Adegbemile Hall, Ondo, was witnessed by
leaders of the ruling Labour Party and commissioners representing the six
councils in the state executive council.
Speaking to the charged audience,
Akinyelure said there was a misinterpretation of the vote on his part.
The senator while explaining,
burst into tears when he saw the anger of the people against his action.
Before the commencement of the
meeting, some angry youths against his position, clashed with the Senator’s
supporters and it took the intervention of policemen to stop the uprising from
degenerating into a bloodbath.
Stones were hauled at one another
by the supporters of the senator and those against his position.
The senator, however, explained
that what the Senate considered was the determination of Nigerian constitution
for renunciation of citizenship under the Nigeria constitution which was
contained in section 29 (4b) which provides that any woman who is married shall
be deemed to be full of full age.
Akinyelure said what he voted in
favour was that whether a married woman is deemed to be of full age to renounce
her Nigerian citizenship and not whether a woman can marry before attaining the
age of 18 years.
The Senator said he cannot vote
in support of the child marriage, saying, “ I cannot vote in support of child
marriage. I cannot support an under-age to go and marry, it is against our
culture and customs.
“If voting were to be done by
show of hands, I would have been able to correct my error before the voting was
concluded by the Senate.”
He, however ,apologised to the
leaders of the party in the state and the people of the constituency for the
error, saying he regretted his action as he acted in error.
The women leaders across the six
council areas disowned him and asked him to renounce his position.
“ We say no to child marriage, it
is worst than child abuse, we wonder why he would support the action, can. Ten
year old girl face the challenges of marriage.”
Also, the representative of
Country Woman Association of Nigeria COWAN Mrs Adeniyi Titilomo described the
amendment as inhuman and abuse to womenfolk.
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