Nigerian actor and lawyer, Kenneth Okonkwo, has criticized how the House of Representatives passed a vote on the state of emergency declared in Rivers State. In a video that was shared by SYMFONI TV, He believes the process was not done correctly and may not hold up in court.
According to the law, when a decision requires a two-thirds majority, it must be properly recorded. This means every member must sign to show their agreement, just like when a Speaker is removed from office. However, in this case, the House of Representatives used a voice vote. The Speaker simply asked, “Do you agree?” and the members responded “Yes.”
Okonkwo questioned how anyone could prove that two-thirds of the members actually agreed just by listening to their voices. “How do you know Two-thirds from voice?” he asked. He explained that when the law requires a specific percentage, there must be written evidence to prove it. Without signatures or a proper count, it is impossible to confirm if the required majority was reached.
Here’s the link to the interview, it began 23.14 to 25.15 minutes into the video.
He also pointed out that while the House is allowed to approve resolutions by voice vote, it should not apply when a two-thirds majority is required. If there is any doubt, members should be asked to sign or the House should be divided for a proper count.
Kenneth Okonkwo insists that the vote should be discarded, saying, “How can you go to court and say you heard the voice of Two-thirds?”