Ekweremadu briefs Osinbajo on Senate mace theft

Ike Ekweremadu, Deputy Senate President

The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, has briefed Vice president Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday invasion of the Senate chamber by thugs reportedly led by a suspended senator, Ovie Omo-Agege.

Mr. Ekweremadu told State House correspondents after meeting with Mr Osinbajo that he was at the Presidential Villa to brief the Vice President on the matter.

“I am sure you are aware of the Senate invasion today and we have to come and brief the Vice President because the President is not in town.

“So it was appropriate for him to know what transpired because we run democracy, we are all in one government and it is the responsibility of the President or the Vice President to ensure law and order in the country and once we have this kind of major development it is important that he is briefed at the earliest opportunity,” he said.

Mr Ekweremadu said he had to be the one to do the briefing because the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, was out of the country.

He said Mr Osinbajo sympathised with the Senate over the incident and pledged to work with the leadership of the National Assembly to ensure such incidents do not occur again.

Mr Ekweremadu said the invasion of the Senate chamber was a threat to Nigerian democracy.

“The invasion of the parliament is not acceptable to any person, it is not acceptable to me, it is not acceptable to the VP, it is not acceptable to my colleagues, I believe its not also acceptable to the President.

“So those who acted this script must be on their own. All we need to do as a country is to ensure that this is forestalled and I want to appeal to the media to help us discourage this kind of brigandage so that people have to behave in a very responsible manner,” he said.

Mr Ekweremadu assured that the Senate leadership was “on top of the situation” and that normal sitting of the Senate was conducted Wednesday.

The Senator who led the thugs, who was on suspension, has already been arrested by the police.

Mr Ekweremadu said having been under suspension, Mr Omo-Agege had no legal right to enter the Senate chamber.

“It was a breach of the law for him to force himself into the chambers. As I said, police is still investigating and we are going to find out the details of those who aided him to come in and then some of them I believe have been arrested and we will get to the root of the matter,” he said.