IGP vs Saraki: Senate raises panel to meet Buhari

The Nigerian Senate has constitute a 10-man panel to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari over the allegation that the Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Idris is plotting to implicate Senate President Bukola Saraki.

Saraki made the allegation during the Senate Plenary on Wednesday following which he stepped down for his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, to preside over the discussion on the matter.

Ekweremadu noted that what Saraki said was some of the things wrong with the country’s democracy which should be halted.

He insisted that the Senate must work to protect the rights of every Nigerian, no matter the situation.

Ekweremadu said there should be a 10-man committee to engage President Muhammadu Buhari as soon as possible.

He said the committee should report back to the Senate within one week.

Ekweremadu named Saraki as the leader of the delegation. An objection to his leadership of the panel since he is the man at the centre of the matter was rejected.

Other members of the committee are: Senate Leader Ahmed Lawan, Chief Whip Olusola Adeyeye, Minority Leader Godswill Akpabio, Senators Abdullahi Adamu, Sam Egwu, Aliyu Wamakko, Oluremi Tinubu and Fatima Rasaki.

Saraki noted that another leg of the plot was to also frame up Kwara State Governor Abdulfatai Ahmed.

The lawmakers described what they were told as “a dangerous development” that must be halted in the interest of democracy.

Before the announcement, the upper chamber held over 45 minutes closed session which Saraki said was meant to deliberate on the running of the Senate and the National Assembly in general.

Senator Philip Aduda (FCT) described the information as dangerous for the country’s democracy and also proposed an ad-hoc committee to look into the matter.

Senate Leader Ahmed Lawan noted: “This is one of the sad moments of the Senate.”

Lawan noted that senators would have just walked into the chamber to pass the 2018 budget already listed in the Order Paper.

He said that it was pointless to continue to beat a dead horse by constituting another committee that the IGP might not honour.

Lawan said that some people might be taking advantage of situations without the President being aware of what was going on.

He agreed that a committee should be constituted to engage President Buhari to intimate him about the development and other issues the Senate might decide to bring to the attention of the President.