Senate resumes sitting after thugs hired by suspended senator disrupt its sitting by seizing the mace

NIGERIA'S senate has resumed sitting this afternoon after being closed due to pandemonium this morning following an attack by persons thought to be thugs hired by Senator Ovie Omo-Agege who was recently suspended for 90 legislative days.

Last Friday, the senate decided to suspend Senator Omo-Agege for insulting the National Assembly by stating that its plans to amend the Electoral Act was a personal attack on President Muhammadu Buhari. A passionate supporter of the president, Senator Omo-Agege, representing Delta Central Senatorial District, clashed with his colleagues in the upper chamber following their decision to amend the Electoral Act 2010, which governs the sequence of polls in a general election.

Following his unanimous suspension, the senator became ineligible to participate in the senate's activities for legislative 90 days, representing six months. It is believed that in response, he hired hoodlums and stormed the senate this morning, seizing its mace, the symbol of authority.

This forced the senate to close down earlier this morning but within the hour, it resumed plenary after coming out of an executive closed door session where the earlier incident of forceful removal of the mace was deliberated upon. Senators resumed business this afternoon with deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, presiding over affairs.

At their sitting, senators decided that they will get to the roots of this sad assault on democracy and an obvious act of treason which the seizure of the mace by some armed hoodlums represents. Apparently, the thugs attacked some members of staff of the National Assembly, particularly the sergeant-at-arms on chamber duties.

Senator Aliyu Abdullahi, the chairman of the senate committee on media and public affairs, said: "The senate has mandated the inspector-general of police, Idris Kpotum Ibrahim and director-general of the State Security Services, Mallam Lawan Daura, to retrieve the mace stolen by the hoodlums within 24 hours.  At the moment, some House of Representatives members led by deputy speaker Hon Yusuf Lasun, are in the senate chambers on a solidarity visit."

Senator Ekweremadu added that the senate would not allow the disruption to affect the business of the day. He added that senators are determined to conclude all matters slated on the order paper for today, even if it means sitting until 6pm.