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Tag: Omo-Agege’s suspension

  • Delta APC dismisses Omo-Agege’s suspension

    The Delta state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed the alleged suspension of Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege, from the party.

    The state’s party Secretary, Chidi Okonji, in a statement on Thursday in Abuja, said that Sen. Omo-Agege remained a key member of APC in delta state.

    Okonji also said that the senator remained the authentic nominee of APC for the Delta Central Senatorial District in next year’s general election.

    The statement reads: “Senator Ovie Omo-Agege is a key member of the All Progressive Congress, APC and he is the authentic nominee of APC for the Delta Central Senatorial District in next year’s election.

    “He won the primary conducted on Wednesday, October 3rd, 2018 by the Primary Election Panel of APC led by General Onoja from Benue State in a landslide.

    “This clarification became necessary due to the fake news circulating in the media that the Distinguished Senator who is the only elected member of APC in Delta State has been suspended by the Chief Cyril Ogodo-led APC faction on Wednesday, October 3, 2018.

     

    “This same illegal Delta APC State Working Committee that claim to have suspended Omo-Agege also organised an alternative Delta Central senatorial primary in Ughelli on Tuesday, 2nd, October that returned Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, who is no longer in our party, as the winner of the APC Delta Central Senatorial primary.

     

    “Mr. Solomon Igbiaye who acted as the Returning Officer of the alternative primary is a member of APC from Warri North Local Government Area.

    “He was not appointed by the National Working Committee of our party.

     

    “You will recall that Ogodo and five other members of his illegal State Working Committee were expelled from the party last week for anti- party activities and impersonation of party officials.

     

    “Members of the party, supporters of Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and the general public should therefore disregard the purported suspension of the Distinguished Senator of Federal Republic of Nigeria and the alleged nomination of Olorogun O’tega Emerhor as the senatorial candidate for Delta Central District.”

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Court nullifies Omo-Agege’s suspension,

    •Says it is unconstitutional •Senator: it’s victory for democracy

    The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja yesterday nullified the suspension of Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, declaring it unconstitutional.

    Justice Nnamdi Dimbga while delivering judgment in the suit filed by Omo-Agege (Delta Central) challenging his suspension, held that the reason given by the Senate and Senate President Bukola Saraki for suspending Omo-Agege was unconstitutional.

    “While the legislator has powers to take disciplinary measures against its members, the reason given for the punishment is an unconstitutional reason.

    “I hereby nullify the suspension of the plaintiff (Omo-Agege) which was based on the recommendations of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions with immediate effect.”

    Justice Dimgba also ordered the Senate to pay Omo-Agege outstanding salaries or allowances which were due to him during the period of the suspension.

    The judge stated that the decision recommended by the committee to punish Omo-Agege for going to court was wrong and contravened Sections 4 and 6 of the constitution adding that he had a right to go to court.

    “Access to court is one key indicator of a democracy, the exercise of his rights cannot be a basis for punishment.”

    The judge added that the court took judicial notice of the fact that while the suit was pending in court, the senate went ahead to suspend the senator for 90 legislative days.

    “In sanctioning a legislator, the legislature must act within the law. While this suit was pending and to the knowledge of the Senate and the Senate President, they went ahead and imposed a sanction on him.”

    The judge also said that the 90 legislative days’ suspension was against Order 67, Rule 4 of the Senate Standing Rules which provided for a lawmaker to be suspended for only 14 legislative days.

    He maintained that suspending the senator for more than 14 days was denying his constituents the required representation.

    He, however, held that the legislature had the powers to sanction any lawmaker who set out to make comments or act in a way that could bring disrepute to the institution.

    But that the legislature went out of track and arrived at a wrong and false end by punishing the senator for exercising his rights.

    According to him, Omo-Agege’s right was not breeched when the senate referred him to its committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions as he erroneously believed.

    The Senator said it will appeal the judgment.

    In a statement yesterday, Omo-Agege described the judgment as victory for democracy.

    The statement by his aide Efe Duku, said the judgement is consistent with his firm position that the Senate as a foremost national institution should live consistently by example and set the pace in legislative best practices.

    The statement said: “We want the good people of this great nation to appreciate this victory for what it is. It is not a victory against the Senate, as there is no war against that great institution. Rather, given his fine understanding of the law, Sen. Omo-Agege believes that there are rare moments that demand the intervention of our courts to enrich the law and our constitutional experience.

    “Today’s positive judgement is therefore not necessarily for or about him as an individual. It is about ensuring that no lawmaker is removed arbitrarily from serving his or her people. It is about ensuring that constitutionality, legality, good conscience and due process are the cornerstones of public leadership actions and decisions.

    “For their increasingly amazing support, Senator Omo-Agege is very grateful to the good people of Urhobo Nation whom he has the great honour of representing in the 8th Senate. He remains absolutely committed to their fine values of justice, honour and humility in service. His special gratitude also goes to his wonderful family, friends, and well-wishers for their prayers and overwhelming support. Above all, this victory belongs to God and to Him we give the glory.”

  • APC chief seeks AGF’s intervention in Omo-Agege’s suspension

    A chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, Prince Christopher Agaga, has urged Attorney- General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami to intervene in the suspension of Ovie Omo-Agege by the Senate.

    Agaga in a statement yesterday, condemned the Senate’s decision to suppress the Senator’s right to express himself.

    He said the decision meant that the Urhobo ethnic group had been left without representation.

    He said: “For as long as the minister of justice does not rise to the occasion to proactively stop the constitution from being desecrated and shredded so long shall we have this regime of impunity that has now become the forte of the leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives as a cog in the wheel to the growth of democratic culture, governance and development of the country.”

    “But now that we are having on our hands a repeat too many to condone, in the latest imperial action of the Senate, in suspending an elected senator who is the voice and mouthpiece of more than two million people of Delta Central Senatorial District with a backlash that  could debilitate the weak fabric of our federation especially with the perception of constituents hard hit by the suspension order that they are being technically excised from Nigeria, there cannot be a more apposite time than this for the minister to rise up to the challenge by initiating legal measures to arrest the ugly and disgusting situation with a view to reassuring the people of Delta central senatorial district who have vowed to protect their rights recognized by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Africa Charter on Human and people’s right that they are valued and recognized as an integral part of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

     

  • Is Omo-Agege’s suspension constitutional?

    In this piece, Prince Christopher Akpojofor Agaga examines the constitutional implications of Senator Ovie Omo-Agege’s suspension from the Senate and the urgent need for the constitutional checks against impurity by any arm of government.

    One of the constitutional duties of the Minister of Justice is enforcing the laws and ensuring that they are not  broken. This responsibility is not limited to individuals, but it extends to organs and institutions of government. We do not expect the Attorney-General to take any preventive measures on issues that are still recondite.  But,when an issue has been pronounced upon by several courts to the extent that it has become trite, the Minister of Justice is beholden to the nation to take steps from preventing reoccurrence of such breaches in the interest of the integrity of the country.

    The recent suspension of Senator Ovie Omo-Agege on Thursday, the 12th day of April, 2018 which has been looming for several weeks over a statement made by him, on the sequencing of  elections in the Electoral Act amendment bill could  have been stopped   by the minister of justice,  if indeed he took his responsibility of protecting the laws of the country seriously.

    For as long as the Minister of Justice does not rise to the occasion to proactively stop the constitution from being desecrated and shredded, so long shall we have this regime of impunity that has now become the forte of the leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives as a cog in the wheel to the growth of democratic culture, governance and development of the country.

    But now that we are having on our hands a repeat too many to condone, in the latest imperial action of the Senate, in suspending an elected senator, who is the voice and mouthpiece of more than two million people of delta central senatorial district with a backlash that  could debilitate the weak fabric of our federation especially with the perception of constituents hard hit by the suspension order that they are being technically excised from Nigeria, there cannot be a more apposite time than this for the minister to rise up to the challenge by initiating legal measures to arrest the ugly and disgusting situation with a view to reassuring the people of Delta Central Senatorial District who have vowed to protect their rights recognised by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Africa Charter on Human and people’s right that they are valued and recognized as an integral part of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    In the past, that was the trend that helped democratic culture and values as witnessed by instituting of court cases by state governments against the federal government and vice versa on issues they considered as encroachment on constitutional provisions.

    This is the time to go back to the regime of deploying legal measures to curb the excesses of people, organs and institutions of government.  This option is far more rewarding than the Gestapo approach of using anti-corruption agencies to harass and intimidate people, the hallmark of President Obasanjo’s government still flickering in this government with little success to show for it because President Muhammadu Buhari is not gifted with a sadistic temperament for such abusive actions. Nigerians can still remember the number of Senate Presidents,  governors and PDP national chairmen illegally removed from office by Obasanjo’s barbaric practices. We, therefore, call on the Attorney-General to always do the needful to protect our democracy and restrain people from advocating and calling for autocratic measures of Obasanjo that should be trashed forever.

    • Agaga, wrote from Delta State.