Senate probes amended election timetable — to know if it’s targeted at Buhari

The senate has mandated its committee on ethics to probe the amended timetable for the 2019 elections.

The resolution of the upper legislative chamber was sequel to a motion sponsored by Dino Melaye, senator representing Kogi west.

While moving the motion on the floor of the senate on Tuesday, Melaye said he did not want to be part of any move targeted at President Muhammadu Buhari.

Melaye said Buhari is not only a party man but someone he laboured for.

“I rise this morning, heavily disturbed that we took a resolution in this house last week and the aftermath of the resolution had a very serious effect on me as a politician,” he said.

“Mr President, PMB, president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is not only my partyman, but is also a man we all labored and voted for.

“My brother and colleague, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege addressed the media, and I saw it on Channels and NTA last week, where he said the decision taken by this senate is targeted at Mr. president.

“I cannot be part of a group or group of persons; I swore an oath on the 9th of June 2015, with a Bible on my right hand and the constitution of the federal republic on my left. And I swore that I was going to do good to all manner of men including the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“If decisions in this senate is now being teleguided and targeted at any particular person, then that is no longer democracy. That statement to me is wary. I personally campaigned and followed the president to 35 states of the federation; the only state I did not follow him to is Yobe state, where we didn’t even go to.

“Mr President, when I was campaigning with the president, Ovie Omo-Agege was busy labouring in Labour Party. Today, to take the integrity of the senate and say that it was tailored towards targeting a particular person, it’s unheard of, it is in bad taste and I do not want to be part of that.

“This, among other statements, was made by Omo-Agege. I want to ask that the committee on ethics and privileges investigate this matter and find out if truly our decision was targeted at the president among other issues raised by him.

“That was enough, another interview was granted. And I think I will want to state categorically that I will not be part of any group of decisions that will be targeted at any particular character talk less of the president of the federal republic of Nigeria.”

The motion was referred to the committee on ethics after it was put to a voice vote by Ike Ekeweremadu, deputy senate president.

On Wednesday, nine senators opposed the amended timetable, saying it might be targeted at the president.

The senate had adopted the reordered sequence which the house of representatives passed earlier.

If approved by the president, election of the federal lawmakers will hold first, next will be state lawmakers and governors, with the last being the presidential election.

In 2015 and since 2003, the presidential and national assembly polls held first, followed by governorship and state legislative polls.