Why We Can Not Act On Mace-snatching Report – Senate

The Senate has declared that it cannot act on the report which allegedly linked the Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege, to the snatching of the mace from the red chamber in 2018.

A group of people had invaded the Senate Chamber on April 18, 2018 and stole the symbol of legislature in the full glare of the lawmakers.

The leadership of the 8th National Assembly set up a joint panel of the two chambers led by Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah (Senate) and Betty Apiafi (House of Representatives) to investigate the incident.

The report could not be considered by the 8th National Assembly because of a suit instituted against the Senate by Omo-Agege, to prevent his colleagues from suspending him.

Indications that the report might not see the light of the day emerged on Saturday when the Senate spokesperson, Godiya Akwashiki, declared in an interview that the 9th Senate would not act on the report.

Akwashiki explained that any unresolved issue in the life of the 8th Senate could no longer be revisited by the 9th Senate.

He said, “As far as I am concerned, anything that affects the life of the 8th National Assembly, any uncompleted report has expired with the life of the last Assembly.

“If it is a bill that was passed but not assented to, or any other uncompleted bill, it has expired with the life of the 8th Assembly.

“As far as the 9th National Assembly is concerned, even if we want to enact a bill, we have to start afresh.

“Any unresolved issue in the 8th Assembly has gone forever. So, the implication is that the report of mace-snatching has gone with the 8th Senate.”

A group, Vanguard for Transparent Leadership and Democracy, had on Thursday, asked the Senate to ignore calls by some civil society groups who are demanding Omo-Agege’s resignation.

The National President of the group, Emmanuel Igbini, who made the appeal in a statement issued in Abuja, explained that there was no concrete evidence against Omo-Agege on the issue of mace-snatching.