Delta APC accuses Saraki, Senate of sinister plots against Buhari

Owing to the suspension of the senator representing Delta Central at the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege, members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, on Tuesday, accused Senate President Bukola Saraki of having sinister motive against President Muhammadu Buhari.

The members of the party led by Chief Great Ogboru, made the allegation during a press briefing, arguing that the lawmakers had no mandate to suspend a fellow colleague for airing his views at the red chamber.

The Senate had last week suspended Omo-Agege over his comment on the controversial amendment of the Electoral Act regarding the sequence of general elections.

But the Delta State APC leaders, who took their protest to the national secretariat of the APC in Abuja, tagged the action of the Senate as “legislative tyranny,” adding that it was “unconstitutional, lawless, anti-democratic, disrespectful, oppressive and ultra vires.”

Spokesman for the group, Chief Adelabu Bodjor, alleged that the move against Omo-Agege proves that the Senate under Saraki, was not only nursing a sinister motive of undermining Buhari, but also the ruling APC.

“By the letters and spirit of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the Senate cannot nullify, tinker with, or suspend the election of a senator of our Republic.

“The Senate cannot compel a senator to vacate his seat and, as a consequence, deny his people their constitutionally guaranteed right of representation. A senator can only vacate his seat by the reason of death, a recall by his constituents or if, without a division in the party on whose platform he was elected, he defects from that party, or otherwise by an appropriate judicial pronouncement. None of these is the case at hand.

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“It is extremely offensive that the distinguished Senator Omo-Agege was purportedly suspended for his opinions on a controversial amendment to the Electoral Act regarding the sequence of general elections.

“The senator did not break any law of the land. Rather, his only alleged fault is that he said, ‘there is a perception out there that the proposed amendment is targeted at Mr. President (Buhari).’ But many share the truth, thoughts or sentiments expressed by our senator. Indeed, just two days ago, it was noted that the target of the reordering of the (election) sequence was the Presidency,” he said.

 

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