MACE SAGA : I CAN’T BE UNDER ARREST; FOR WHAT PURPOSE? – OVIE OMO-AGEGE
MACE SAGA : I CAN’T BE
UNDER ARREST; FOR WHAT PURPOSE? – OVIE OMO-AGEGE
Suspended Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege (M) as he being arrested by the police after the plenary at the National Assembly in Abuja on Wednesday
Suspended Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege (M) as he being arrested by the police after the plenary at the National Assembly in Abuja on Wednesday
The Police on Wednesday
arrested suspended lawmaker, Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege (APC-Delta) at the National
Assembly Complex over the Senate mace snatching saga. The Commissioner of
Police, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), command, Mr Sadiq Bello, led the team
of policemen, who arrested the senator and whisked him away in a Hilux van with
registration number NPF 840 at about 1.50 p.m.
Before
he was taken away, Omo-Agege had told the police that the court had pronounced
that the National Assembly “and specifically the Senate, has no power to
suspend a senator for one day. “I can’t be under arrest; for what purpose?’’
Omo-Agege
who was sighted in the Upper Chamber during the day’s plenary, was apprehended
when he stepped out at the end of the session. The Senate had on April 12,
suspended the lawmaker over an alleged “dissenting comment’’ on decision of the
chamber on adoption of conference report on INEC Act (2010) Amendment Bill.
The
suspension, which would last for 90 legislative days, emanated from the report
of the Committee on Ethics Privileges and Public Petitions presented at
plenary. Presenting the report, Chairman of the committee, Sen. Sam Anyanwu,
said the committee’s probe followed a Point-of-Order raised by Sen. Dino Melaye
(Kogi-APC) on the matter.
According
to Anyanwu, Melaye drew Senate’s attention to a media briefing by Omo Agege, faulting
senate’s adoption of the conference’s report on Feb.14. He said that Melaye
further intimated the senate that the media briefing by Omo-Agege indicated
that the resolution of the senate was targeted at President Muhammadu Buhari.
Anyanwu added that following the committee’s investigation into the matter, it
was resolved among other things, that Omo-Agege be suspended for 181
legislative days.
The
recommended suspension was later reduced to 90 legislative days by the
President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, while giving his remarks on the
issue. With suspension, Omo-Agege was expected to stay from the national
assembly, but his appearance at the assembly, and indeed, the Senate chamber,
was against Section 22 of the Senate Standing Order (2015) as amended.
The section states that “a member of a
Legislative House who has been suspended from the service of that House shall
not enter or remain within the Chamber or precincts of the House in
contravention of this section.
“He may be forcibly removed therefrom by any
officer of the House and no proceedings shall lie in any court against such
office in respect of such removal.’’ Meanwhile, it was gathered that the
lawmaker came into the national assembly at the time suspected hoodlums invaded
the Senate chamber and made away with the mace. (NAN)
