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ElombahNews is in possession of informations explaining the reasons behind the snatching of the Mace from the Senate on Wednesday.
A source close to the Senate and the Senator Ovie Omo-Agege camp revealed to this medium that the theft of the Mace was connected to the Electoral Act 2010 Amendment Bill slated for second reading today.
Omo-Agege, as widely, acclaimed, is a tacit supporter of President Muhammadu Buhari and his second term re-election bid.
Reports had flooded the media world how the Senator was suspended followed his alleged offensive remarks against the Upper legislative chamber for reordering the 2019 sequence of elections in its passage of the 2010 Electoral Act.
He challenged the Senate decision and said that the reordering was targeted at President Buhari to disrupt his second term bid.
Omo-Agege would later drag the Senate to Court over which Senate in its resolution directed him to withdraw the suit he filed against it from the court .
Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Support Group for President Muhammadu Buhari, which has Omo-Agege as its Secretary and Senator Abdullahi Adamu as Chairman, was disbanded.
Senator Anyanwu said during plenary that the allegations brought against the senate was false after due investigation and therefore recommended that Senator Omo-Agege be suspended among other “punishments” to serve as deterrent to others.
He said the committee was surprised that Senator Omo-Agege changed his mind and took the Senate President and the Senate to court.
That was after he admitted guilt on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday, 21st February, 2018 by apologising to the leadership and the entire Senate.
Failure to abide by the Senate, he was suspended for 90 legislative days.
Shockingly, and to the chagrin of onlookers, the Mace was stolen in the Senate while the Chamber was in session.
The Senate immediately fingered Senator Omo-Agege as the person behind the theft for which he was arrested after the plenary.
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Undeterred, the Senate produced a substitute Mace and resumed sitting via an executive (closed door) session.
On resuming sitting, the upper legislative body considered the Electoral Act 2010 Amendment Bill for second reading, which it was revealed, is the target behind stealing the Mace.
It could be recalled that Mr. President refused to sign the Bill into law, citing infringement on the independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission [INEC] as one of his reasons.
The proposed amendment has generated controversy in the Senate which invariably led to the Senator Omo-Agege/Parliamentary Support Group for President Muhammadu Buhari fiasco.
The Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions had investigated Omo-Agege’s comment, based on a petition by Senator Dino Melaye.
The mace, a legislative chamber’s symbol of authority, was snatched, according to our source, to discourage the second reading of the Electoral Act 2010 Amendment Bill
The Senate accused Omo-Agege, who is supposed to be in suspension but present during plenary, of leading the thugs who invaded the Senate to seize the mace.
The invaders escaped with the mace, throwing the Senate into confusion.
However, for some more mysterious reasons, the Senate on Wednesday suddenly backed out of its decision to amend the sequence of elections.
The bill was sponsored by Senator Suleiman Nazif and tilted: “An act to amend the provisions of the Electoral Act No. 6, 2010 to make provisions for the sequence of elections in Nigeria”.
Many Senators of All Progressive Congress (APC) had kicked against the amendment saying it is illegal and unconstitutional .
