The national assembly has summoned Ovie Omo-Agege, senator representing Delta central, and Ali Ndume, senator representing Borno south, over their alleged roles in the theft of the senate’s mace as Omo-Agege fails to attend planery today as he earlier promised
On April 18, Omo-Agege invaded the red chamber with suspected thugs and the mace, the symbol of authority of the upper legislative chamber, was stolen in the process.
Ndume was accused of preventing the serjeant-at-arms from guarding the mace.
The senate had given the police a 24-hour ultimatum to recover the mace and it was returned to the senate the next day.
Speaking at the resumed hearing of a joint ad hoc committee of the senate and house of representatives, on Tuesday, Bala Na’Allah, its chairman, said the two lawmakers were invited based on the testimony of the sergeant-at-arms which indicted them.
Na’Allah said it was in order for them to respond to the allegations levelled against them.
“Based on the testimony of the sergeant at arms before the committee, you are alleged to have prevented the mace keeper from taking away the mace to safety,” the chairman read out the letter inviting the lawmakers.
“The committee has, therefore, deemed it necessary to invite you in order to respond to that allegation. As regards to Omo-Agege, based on the testimony of the DPO, the SSS and the sergeant at arms, you are alleged to have entered the national assembly accompanied by seven persons who allegedly took the mace of the senate during plenary session on April 18, at about 11:30 am
“All those who testified, stated that the said people were cleared into the chamber based on your confirmation that they were with you. The committee in pursuance of this has deemed it necessary to formally invite you to respond to these allegations on Wednesday, May 16 at 11:00am.”
At an earlier hearing, the police accused some unnamed lawmakers of colliding with the suspects said to steal the mace.
“There should be cooperation between security agencies and the lawmakers but in this case, the attack came from the roof as the senators are not helping security matters,” Sulu-Gambari Abdul, divisional police officer (DPO) of the national assembly, had said.
Meanwhile, Ovie Omo-Agege, senator representing Delta central, did not attend plenary at the senate on Tuesday.
Security was beefed up at national assembly in anticipation of his return.
The senator was suspended for 90 legislative days after he took the upper legislative chamber to court. There were rumors that he could be suspended for kicking against the election reordering bill but he headed to court.
The senator and nine order senators had asserted that the bill was targeted at President Muhammadu Buhari.
After he was suspended, Omo-Agege stormed the senate chamber on April 18 with suspected thugs who seized the mace of the upper legislative chamber.
Though he was arrested by the police and later released, he denied that he led thugs to invade the senate chamber.
He later secured a restraining order from the court, preventing the police and the Department of State Services (DSS) from arresting him.
Last week, a high court in Abuja, nullified the senate’s suspension of Omo-Agege.
The court held that while the national assembly had the power to discipline its erring members, the premise on which Omo-Agege’s suspension was anchored is illegal.
On Monday, the senate said it would not stop the senator from resuming plenary but that it had appealed the judgement and asked the court for a stay of execution.
