Ovie Omo-Agege, senator
representing Delta central, has apologised for criticising the amended election
timetable passed by the national assembly.
Last week, the senate adopted the
timetable earlier passed by the house of representatives.
Omo-Agege and eight senators, who
staged a walkout when the amendment was being ratified, later addressed
reporters.
They said they rejected the
action of their colleagues because the amendment could be targeted at President
Muhammadu Buhari.
“You don’t make a law targeted at
one person. The perception out there is that this Section 25 was included to
target Mr. President,” Omo-Agege had told journalists.
At the plenary session on
Tuesday, Dino Melaye, senator representing Kogi west, raised a point of order
to accuse Omo-Agege of denigrating the senate by alleging that the resolution
on the amendment was targeted at Buhari.
“To take the decision by the
senate and the integrity of the senate put together (and say) that it was
tailored to target a particular person, it is unheard of, it is in bad taste
and I do not want to be part of that,” he said.
“When I was following the
president, campaigning and working for him to become the president of this
country, Ovie Omo-Agege was labouring in the Labour Party.”
The matter was referred to ethics
committee for investigation.
But speaking on the floor of the
senate on Wednesday, the Delta senator who defected to the APC, from Labour
Party, said he realised that some of the things he said were offensive.
“Mr. President, yesterday I
wasn’t here, my colleague, my brother, senator Dino Melaye brought a motion
under order 14 and 15. That motion arose as a consequence of debate on the
sequence of election of the electoral act amendment which was passed at this senate
on Wednesday,” he said.
“Mr President, in the course of
that debate, I did address the press. Mr President, with certain remarks I made
in the course of that press interview, which my attention has been drawn to,
has been offensive not just to senator Dino Melaye but to the entire senate. I
rise today to apologise to the leadership and the entire senate. Mr President,
I take back my words.”
On his part, Ekeweremadu, deputy
senate president, who presided over plenary, said by apologising, Omo-Agege exhibited
courage.
“My view is that it takes courage
for a man to say sorry. In the circumstance, especially when the matter has
been referred to the committee, what I suggest is that the committee quickly
meets with him and then we’ll be able to have the report as quickly as possible
so that we’ll be able to take a decision,” he said.
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