10 Senators To Be Investigated Over Comments On Buhari

The upper legislative chamber of the National Assembly, yesterday mandated its Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, to commence an investigation into comments credited to Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and nine others.

Omo-Agege and nine other senators had alleged that the re-ordering of the election sequence was done to negatively affect President Muhammadu Buhari’s chances at the 2019 presidential elections should he decide to contest.

The other nine senators as identified by The Sun are Abdullahi Adamu, Abu Ibrahim, Benjamin Uwajumogu, Ali Wakil, Abdullahi Gumel, Binta Masi, Yahaya Abdullahi, Andrew Uchendu and Umaru Kurfi.

“When this bill was passed in the House of Representatives, only 36 members were present. This cannot stand in a House of 360 members. This amendment needs to be debated before it is passed.

“There is a section in our standing rules that if a bill is sent to the House of Representatives and it makes any inputs, the Senate shall dissolve into a committee of the whole.

“We are supposed to determine if the decision of the House is in tandem with what the Senate passed. That was not done.

“We are 59 senators who are opposed to Section 25 of the Electoral Act. We cannot stand and allow a law passed against Mr. President to stand,” Omo-Agege had alleged during a media parley.

However, citing Order 14 of the Senate Standing Rules yesterday, Dino Melaye called on his colleagues to allow the Ethics Committee of the Senate to investigate the claims made by Omo-Agege.

“I am heavily worried. President Buhari is not only my party man he is a president we all laboured to vote for. My colleague, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, addressed the media last week.

“He said the decision taken by this Senate is targeted at Buhari. I cannot be part of any group of persons to move against the President.

“The allegations are weighty. I followed President Buhari to 35 states of the federation during the campaigns.

“When I was following the President round the country, Omo-Agege was in the Labour Party.

“To now alleged and put the integrity of the Senate under check that the amendment was tailored towards the President is unheard of. It is in bad taste.

“I want to ask that this statement made by Omo-Agege, among other statements, be investigated by the Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions.

“They need to find out if our actions were targeted at the President. Another interview was granted by the same senator.”

The issue was thereafter subjected to a voice vote by Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over yesterday’s plenary.

“He came under Order 14. If it is your wish that the issue be referred to the ethics committee, let those in support say ‘aye’,” Ekweremadu said.

If the ethics committee was able to establish that the claims made by Omo-Agege and nine others were false, the affected lawmakers might face sanctions and suspension.

Last Wednesday, the proposed amendment of election sequence caused uproar on the floor of the Senate.

Recall the adoption of the conference report on the amendment of the electoral act, had last week caused an uproar in the Senate as some of the lawmakers kicked against the adoption of the new election sequence.

The adoption been proposed by the lawmakers via the amendments would imply re-ordering the sequence of the 2019 elections to start from that of the National Assembly.

This would be followed by the governorship and State Assembly elections and end with the presidential election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) had earlier released a timetable which would see the presidential and National Assembly elections come before the governorship and state assembly elections.