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.
photo
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.”
As a fallout of the tension, supporters of the embattled
senator and the protesters clashed at the premises of the meeting, while a
photojournalist with the Hope newspapers, Mr. Abayomi Adefolalu, who tried to
take their shot was beaten while his camera was damaged.
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