The House of Representatives will today resume plenary amid tight security to consider President Goodluck Jonathan’s request to extend emergency rule by another six months in the three North-east states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, which have been worst hit by Boko Haram attacks.
This is just as the Senate’s executive session on the request by the president again ended in a stalemate yesterday, as the upper chamber failed to reach a consensus on the issue, but it resolved to summon the service chiefs to appear before it today to provide more information on the war against the insurgency.
The president had in a letter addressed to the Senate President David Mark on Tuesday, sought the Senate’s approval for the extension of emergency rule in the affected states for the third time, saying the extension had become compelling in view of the protracted activities of terrorists in the troubled three North-east states.
He therefore implored the senators to expeditiously approve the planned extension of the emergency rule.
Following the request, the Senate on Tuesday dissolved into an executive session but failed to come up with a resolution as senators from the North vehemently opposed the proposed extension, arguing that emergency rule had done them more harm than good.
The stalemate continued yesterday as the meeting witnessed the northern senators refusing to shift ground, thus stalling the Senate’s attempt to pass a resolution on the request.
Briefing newsmen at the end of the meeting, Senate spokesman, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, confirmed that the meeting was characterised by considerable acrimony, forcing the senators to resolve to continue deliberation on the request today.
According to Abaribe, who said the meeting was frank and robust, the Senate would pass a resolution at the end of today’s meeting no matter how herculean.
He also disclosed that yesterday’s meeting resolved to invite the service chiefs to join them in today’s meeting with a view to providing them with information on the state of emergency rule so far, adding that the senate president would also interact with the governors of the affected states to hear their views on the request.
He said: “The Senate on Wednesday the 19th of November, went into another closed-door session to consider the request of Mr. President for an extension of the state of emergency in the three states that will elapse maybe by tomorrow.
“The discussion, like we had earlier said, was very frank, robust and sometimes very acrimonious which is usual in political discussions. And we agreed as a Senate that the discussion will continue tomorrow.
“Also, for the purpose of getting further information, we will invite the service chiefs to be available tomorrow (today) to also brief us on the efforts that have been ongoing in the past six months when the emergency was declared.
“To that effect, we have adjourned to tomorrow (today) and we will also consider the information that we will also get from the service chiefs and further information that will be available to us from the governors of the states that are going to be contacted by the senate president.
“We hope we will take a decision tomorrow in the interest of this country.”
He dismissed as “utter rubbish” insinuations that the senators were induced with money to get the president’s request for the extension approved, saying if there was any such thing, “maybe we would not have also continued to have this discussion. The mere fact that the discussion is still going on should tell you that there is no such thing.”
Opponents of the extension also dismissed the allegation, saying there was no such inducement in consideration of the request.
Security Beefed up at N’Assembly
But as the senators bickered over the president’s request, the security agencies yesterday beefed up security within the precinct of the National Assembly ahead of resumption of plenary by the House of Representatives today to consider the request for the extension of emergency rule.
Speaking on the security cordon, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the National Assembly’s Sergeant-at-Arms said they were poised to tackle any unforeseen security breach.
A senior officer of the DSS attached to the National Assembly told newsmen that “the DSS is here to ensure order and security of lives and property. We are ready to ensure that parliamentary activities tomorrow (today) go on safely and are hitch-free”.
He however declined to comment on whether the same security cover would be extended to the House Speaker, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, stating: “I am not permitted to speak on that.”
The mace, it was also gathered, was smuggled out of the National Assembly, for fear that it could fall into the “wrong hands”.
But the National Assembly’s acting Sergeant-at-Arms, Mr. Ibrahim Ndako, dismissed the claim regarding the mace as a “rumour”, saying he was in possession of the mace, which is under lock and key.
