By Olusegun Lawrence The Senate at plenary on Wednesday constituted an Ad hoc Committee headed by Ahmed Makarfi, to investigate invasion of the National Assembly by policemen last week.
Prompt News recalls that policemen on November 20, locked lawmakers out of the National Assembly Complex and even tear gassed some of them as they struggle to gain access to perform theur constitutional duties.
Members of the committee are: Adegbenga Kaka, Jibrila Bindo, Atiku Bagudu, Senator Uzamere Ehigie and Paulinus Igwe.
Leading a motion on the fracas, the Leader of the Senate, Victor Ndoma Egba, enjoined his colleagues to condemn the act and to cause the leadership of the senate to set up a committee to probe the incident as well as the role of the Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba in the crisis.
Mark recalled how he was rough handled by angry members of the House of Representatives, saying it was a sacrifice which he and the speaker had to make to strengthen Nigeria’s democracy.
Contributing, Chris Ngige, posited that rather than criticize the lawmakers for scaling the gate of the national assembly on that day, those lawmakers should been seen as the real heroes and democrats who deserve some honor.
“I support that there should be a public hearing by an ad hoc committee, but whatever is there report must not go the ‘Nigerian way’, he stated.
On his part, Abdul Ningi, described the ugly incident as “a tragedy of monumental proportion”, adding that said it was nothing short of a coup attempt by the police against the National Assembly and democracy.
His submission, “We have legislative powers and immunity which protects the national assembly against threats like the one that happened on Thursday November 20, the police should seek clearance from the chairman of the national assembly, in this case, the Senate President.
“But on that particular day, a lot of people including the Senate President were not aware of the planned invasion and most members of the national assembly were barred from entrance. But the question is who ordered it, since both the executive and the PDP have denied knowledge of it and absorbed themselves from the action of the police which took the law into their hands”.
