Senate President David Mark has described the allegation by Babafemi Ojodu, a member of the Senate that he (Mark) called for the postponement of the 2015 general election as an undignifying mischief least expected of a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Mark, who expressed shock and disappointment at the allegation, said he never called for the postponement of the 2015 general election and never attended any meeting under any guise whatsoever to postpone election and accused Senator Ojodu of attempting to ridicule his colleagues and drag the Senate into a public disrepute.
“I have neither canvassed the postponement or deferment of 2015 election nor has my body language ever suggested that. I am shocked that distinguished Senator Ojudu could descend to this level of mischief and blackmail for reasons that I am yet to understand.
“How could I call for the deferment of elections? Whereas, I ran for the primary election of my party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and was elected unopposed.
“I picked and filled the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) forms; I had commenced a rigorous campaign that took me to the length and breadth of my senatorial district where I urged Nigerians to come out and participate in the electoral process; how else could I have shown commitment to the process.
“In no unmistakeable terms, when the issue of insurgency came to the floor of the Senate and a Distinguished Senator introduced the issue of election I had cautioned that the issue before the Senate had nothing to do with election and that the issue before us in the Senate was insurgency and terrorism.
“I do hope Senator Ojodu has not embarked on a voyage to re-write history to suit his clandestine intentions. I know these are desperate times for a lot of politicians. But it has not called for this outright mischief. Different political affiliations notwithstanding, we all have a common goal to maintain the sanctity of our peace and unity.
“If Senator Ojodu feels strongly about any issue, he had opportunity to make his point before his colleagues and certainly not grandstanding in the media arena.
“I have always maintained that elections should hold on schedule. I also believed that the right thing should be done. This is not personal but in the collective interest of Nigeria and Nigerians. The country is bigger than any of us. Our unity must be held sacrosanct.
The Senate, Mark maintained, will always remain one united family held together by national interest and we will always stand together to defend national unity.
