I have
often times argued that the legislature ought to be placed as the first arm of
government, hence its members are required to act like frontiers when it calls
for doing the needful or leading by example.
The above assertion was informed by the fact
that the institution in question is the only body constitutionally responsible
for lawmaking in any democratic terrain. Of course, we aren’t unaware that if
the laws aren’t available, the executive will have nothing to execute. It’s not
anymore news that execution of projects are done strictly in accordance with
the extant laws.
The Senate, however, disabused me of that
impression penultimate week, precisely on Wednesday 18th April 2018.
In the period in review, a group of five thugs invaded the Hallowed Chambers of
the Senate during legislative sitting and forcefully made away with the mace,
the symbol of authority of the legislature.
The
names of the thugs, who were later apprehended, were given as Tuoyo Mabiaku,
Peter Ovede, Blessing Edjeke, Lucky Okomu and Prince Enayemo; all of Delta
State extraction. It was alleged that they were led by Senator Ovie Omo-Agege
who is currently representing Delta Central Senatorial District in the Red Chamber.
It
would be recalled that Sen. Omo-Agege was recently suspended by the Senate for
ninety legislative days over alleged misconduct. According to the President of
the Upper Chamber, Sen. Bukola Saraki, the suspension which precisely occurred
on Thursday, April 12, 2018 was necessitated by the court action instigated by
the embattled lawmaker.
Sen. Omo-Agege, who was previously
billed to appear before the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public
Petitions as regards his comments on the 2018 Amendment of Electoral Act, had
sued the Red Chamber in a bid to stop the proposed appearance. The legislator
who had been piloting a ‘Parliamentary Support Group for President Buhari’ was
of the view that he was exercising his constitutional rights, thus deserved not
to be queried by his colleagues.
Sen. Saraki opined that the suspension
was highly consequential, stating taking the Senate to court smacks of
‘gross-indiscipline’ which should not be condoned by the Upper Chamber. He disclosed
that a situation whereby a few senators would portray themselves before the
Presidency as saints and make others appear as devils was ‘totally
unacceptable’.
The stolen mace was reportedly
recovered by the police at the fly-over before the Abuja city gate. It’s
noteworthy that Sen. Omo-Agege alongside the thugs had been arrested by the
police. It was equally gathered that the indicted lawmaker, who belongs to the
ruling All Progressives Party (APC), had outrightly been disowned by the party
as well as the Presidency.
It’s
worthy of note that this is first in history across the globe a symbol of
authority of a country’s legislature would be stolen. It becomes more confusing
and saddening when realized that such a disgusting criminal act was allegedly
engineered by a sitting senator.
This
brings to my notice a certain piece I did some time ago titled ‘When lawmakers
become lawbreakers’. In that critique, I unequivocally tendered my unalloyed
displeasure over how some so-called lawmakers in Nigeria were on a daily basis
involved in issues that bore no reverence for the country’s constitution or
extant laws. It’s disheartening that almost two years after publishing that analysis,
our legislators at all levels are yet to prove to us that they are really in
charge of lawmaking.
A lawmaker was suspended and afterwards
felt that the action taken against his person was inappropriate or illicitly
carried out. Hence, the next thing he could think of was to invade the Senate
premises and steal the body’s mace. Such a criminal outing allegedly piloted by
a man, who ought to acknowledge the prime essence of the judiciary, was truly
unspeakable and unacceptable, to assert the least.
It
could be that the Senate derailed over the process embraced towards sanctioning
the legislator. It could be that the Red Chamber overrode the judiciary by
taking decision over a case that was already before a court of competent
jurisdiction. It could be, therefore, that the Upper Chamber goofed or overreacted in its
action.
Inasmuch as I wasn’t in support of how
he was suspended, that reaction taken by the embattled legislator, which I have
aptly described as a ‘show of shame’, wasn’t in any way required in the process
of fighting for his right that was apparently violated. That singular reaction
was unequivocally enough reason to expunge, and not suspend, him from the
National Assembly (NASS) if eventually found guilty.
Notwithstanding,
I wouldn’t hesitate in putting the blame of what transpired in the Senate on
the security personnel that were on guard during the incident. I refuse to be
convinced that a gang of five thugs, either armed or not, could outshine the
policemen on duty on that fateful day.
This implies that there are many
questions yet to be answered by the ‘men of honour’ in charge of the Senate’s
security. If your thought is as good as mine, then one wouldn’t hesitate to
ask; where exactly are we headed for? Think about it!
Comrade Fred Nwaozor
Executive Director, Docfred Resource Hub (DRH) - Owerri
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Twitter: @mediambassador
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