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By Ifeanyi Nwoko
The Senate today, Thursday, 12/4/2018, wielded the big stick, and suspended a pro-Buhari senator, Ovie Omo-Agege for 90 legislative days for his remarks during and after the consideration of the electoral acts amendment.
Omo-Agege’s suspension followed the recommendation of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, chaired by Senator Sam Anyanwu.
With the suspension, Omo-Agege will stay suspended for 90 legislative days. This means that if the senate were to sit without any interruption, recess or adjournment for committee work, it would take 30 weeks (7 months for Omo-Agege to completely serve his suspension.
Currently the senate is yet to take its over 2-months long annual recess as well as its December break during which times the suspension will not be counted.
The senator had gone against the senate during the consideration of the electoral act amendment and went ahead to grant a press conference where he said that the move by the senate was targeted at President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Senator was one of the nine other senators who had insisted during the amendment that the election sequence targeted President Muhammadu Buhari.
His comments which infuriated other senators was seen as unethical and the Senate mandated its committee on Ethics to investigate the matter.
However, Omo-Agege who later recanted came to the floor on another legislative day to tender an unreserved apology to his colleagues, however Deputy President of the Senate Ike Ekweremadu who presided over the day’s plenary only noted the apology and asked the ethics committee to submit its reports as soon as possible.
While submitting its report on Thursday, the Sam Anyanwu-led committee recommended that the lawmaker be suspended for 181 legislative days.
However, after pleas from many of his colleagues, the senate resolved to suspend senator Omo-Agege for 90 legislative days.
In a related development, the Senate also disbanded the Parliamentary Support Group for President Muhammadu Buhari.
The group was chaired by Senator Abdullahi Adamu while Senator Omo-Agege was the secretary. The group was made up of 11 members including late Senator Ali Wakili. (NAN)