[AUTHORITY ] The raging Executive-Legislature’s feud over alleged forging of the Senate Standing Rules, worsened on Thursday as the Upper House walked out from its session with the Special Assistant to the President on Public Prosecution, Mr. Okoi Obono-Obla.
Obono-Obla incurred the wrath of the Senators when he told them that the trial of the Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki, his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu and two others, was beyond the Upper House.
The presidential aide was at the Upper House to represent the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and the Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, who was summoned to appear before the Senators on the matter.
Malami, who for the second time failed to honour the Senate’s invitation, sent Obono-Obla to represent him.
But when the committee began its proceedings, it was the presidential aide that appeared on his behalf.
In his address, Obono-Obla asserted that neither the committee nor the Senate has jurisdiction over the matter that is already in court.
“This committee has no jurisdiction on this matter. It is clearly beyond it,” he said.
He declared that the AGF whom he represented at the session is not answerable to the Senate but the President.
At this point, the committee members could not tolerate his utterances, which they described as a “show of disrespect for the Senate.”
The chairman of the committee, Senator David Umaru (Niger East) declined to hear his submission, stressing that the invitation was to the chief law officer of the federation and not to the President.
Umaru said: “We had hoped that his (Malami) presence here would have shed more light on the case which is pending before the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Court; the person who came is not answerable to the Attorney-General of the Federation but to the President and so we cannot take him.”
Senator Chukwuka Utazi decried the AGF’s attitude towards the Senate and lamented that the development was a clear indication that Nigeria’s democracy is under serious threat, going by the action of the AGF and the involvement of the Presidency.
He described Malami’s absence as a slap on the Senate. “As we can see, he has refused to appear before us, leaving us to a situation where we are going to look into the issue,” he said.
Consequently, the committee walked out the presidential aide.
While fielding questions from journalists, Obono-Obla said the committee had no business summoning anybody over a matter that is in court. He said that the action is an attempt of wanting to be a judge in one’s matter.
“You cannot be a judge in your own case. We don’t have confidence in the committee,” he said.
He insisted that the GF has not done anything wrong to warrant the committee insisting on his appearance before it.
In his conclusion, Senator Umaru said: “Having invited the AGF twice to appear before us as mandated by the Senate without him responding to the summons, this committee will surely report the matter to the Senate plenary for appropriate action.”
