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| Senate (Photo: wikipedia.org) |
Senators failed again yesterday to
agree on President Goodluck Jonathan’s request for an extension of the state of
emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.
The debate on the presidential
request started on Tuesday with most senators from the North stoutly
opposing the extension, according to The Nation.
Senators, after more than two hours,
resolved to continue the discussion on the controversial request today
The lawmakers also resolved to
invite the Service Chiefs for discussion.
The Senate also mandated Senate
President David Mark is to contact governors of the affected states for more
information and for their input.
After the session, Mark said: “The
Senate in executive session discussed the letter from Mr. President on the
extension of the state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States. We had a
very robust and detailed discussion and we will continue the discussion today.”
The Senate President asked whether
what he said was a true reflection of what transpired in the Executive Session.
Senators answered in the
affirmative.
Mark also said “the Senate resolved
that we will invite the Service Chiefs to appear before the Senate and be part
of our discussion tomorrow (today).”
He adjourned plenary till today.
Chairman, Senate Committee on
Information, Media and Public Affairs, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, threw more
light on the executive session.
Abaribe said “the discussion was
very frank, robust and sometimes very acrimonious”.
He said the governors of the
affected states would be contacted by the Senate President for more
information.
The information offered by the
governors, he said, would assist the Senate to arrive at an acceptable
decision.
He dismissed the allegation that the
Presidency brought money to influence the lawmakers to approve the request.
Abaribe, who described the
allegation of bribery as “utter rubbish”, noted that if senators had been
induced to approve the request, they would they have continued to debate the
issue.
Abaribe was optimistic of a
breakthrough today after members might have armed themselves with information.
A source at the closed session said
the chamber was charged throughout the debate.
He said some senators, especially
those opposed to granting the President’s request, were combative in their
approach to the debate.
Those opposed to extension of
emergency rule, he said, refused to shift ground “even after what appeared to
be superior argument by those in support of the President’s request”.
He said: “By and large, the state of
emergency will be extended. There may be no alternative than to grant the
President’s request. We appreciate the position of those opposed to the request
but there may be no alternative than to approve the request.”
Senate Ahmed Lawan (Yobe North)
said: “Many of us are opposed to it, particularly I am vehemently opposed to
it. I believe that we should explore other avenues but some other people feel
differently and the discussion continues tomorrow (today).
“Let’s see; could the president
under Section 218 not use the military to fight insurgency in the Northeast?
Was it not done in Niger Delta when insurgency was taking place in the Niger
Delta? Was there state of emergency in the Niger Delta before the operations of
the military were undertaken and successfully too?
On alleged financial inducement to senators,
Lawan said: “I am opposed to the state of emergency, so maybe if there was
money it was never extended to me.”
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