INTENSE criticism that followed the revelation of a list of Nigerian senators who voted to remove a clause
in the Nigerian constitution specifying an age limit for marriage has caused the only Yoruba senator on the list, Senator Ayo Akinyelure, to apologize for his involvement.
Mr. Akinyelure’s apologies came as the people from his Ondo Central Senatorial District in the south-western state of Ondo staged a peaceful protest against him in the state capital of Akure
Summoned by the constituents to a meeting held at the Cultural Centre Auditorium in the capital city, which is also the Senatorial headquarters, Mr. Akinyelure indicated that he regretted the act and apologized to the people, explaining that he cast the vote in error.
He emphasised that as a true Yoruba man, he wouldn’t have intentionally voted in support of child marriage.
He said there is still hope in correcting the situation as the bill will still be passed at the House of Representatives and the States Houses of Assembly.
Protests against the said bill are gathering momentum as predicted in a report by sharpedgenews.com over the weekend, as ordinary citizens and celebrities are adding their voices to condemning the move in greater numbers.
On Monday, a video by popular Nigerian actress Stella Damascus went viral amongst Nigerians in Nigeria and outside of the country. In the video uploaded at the popular YouTube video website, Ms. Damascus communicated the kind of anger that a growing number of Nigerians feel over the attempt to smuggle an aberration into the statutes of the federal republic.
In Ondo State, women leaders of the Labor Party in the six local government areas in the senatorial zone who spoke on behalf of the women condemned the support of the bill which a leader among them described barbaric.
The resolution passed seeks to retain the provision of Section 29 (4) (b) of the 1999 Constitution. Under the section, a married underage girl is deemed to be an adult.
Prominent Nigerians and human right organizations took to the social media to protest what they described as legalisation of sexual abuse of underage girls.