*Approaches S/Court for law interpretation
In a bid to avert possible showdown between the senators of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC and their counterparts in the leading opposition People’s Democratic, Party PDP over President Muhammadu Buhari’s suspension of Justice Walter Onnoghen as the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN and the swearing-in of Justice Tanko Muhammad as the acting CJN, the Senate, yesterday cancelled its earlier planned emergency session to discuss the matter and take a position on it.
Rather, the upper legislative chamber has approached the Supreme Court for interpretation of the law on the illegality or otherwise of President Buhari’s action over the alleged non-assets declaration by Justice Onnoghen for which he’s being tried before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT in Abuja.
The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, who announced the cancellation in a statement issued yesterday, said that the scheduled date of resumption in plenary by the senators earlier fixed for Tuesday, February 19 remains.
Saraki, in the statement released by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Alhaji Yusuph Olaniyonu, explained that the Justice Onnoghen’s suspension which is the main issue for which the Senate had planned to reconvene today had become sub-judiced since Senate has approached Court.
“Earlier today, the Senate filed a case in the highest court of the land, the Supreme Court, seeking its interpretation on whether President Muhammadu Buhari acted within the provision of the constitution in his suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Hon. Justice Walter Nkannu Onnoghen or whether the action of the President does amount to usurpation of the powers of the Senate as provided for in Section 292 of the constitution.
“Following the filing of the case, the matter of the suspension of the CJN which is the main issue for which the Senate had planned to reconvene tomorrow (today), has become sub-judiced.
“Therefore, in line with the standing rules of the Senate not to debate issues that are already pending before the court, the reconvening of the Senate tomorrow has been put off. The previous adjournment of the Senate till February 19, 2019 stays”, the statement read.
Also, the Clerk of Senate, Mr. Nelson Ayewoh, confirmed the development in a separate statement, titled: Cancellation of Senate resumption in plenary” and made available to newsmen.
Ayewoh stated: “This is to inform all Distinguished Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that the resumption in plenary scheduled for tomorrow (today), Tuesday, 29th January 2019 has been canceled.
“The scheduled date of resumption in Plenary earlier fixed for Tuesday, 19th February 2019, remains, please”.
The Clerk had on Sunday through a statement said that Senate has scheduled a special plenary for today to debate Onnoghen’s suspension by President Buhari and come up with appropriate resolutions.
But the leadership of the Red Chamber chickened out of the planned move yesterday based on tension that was already building up within the camps of the APC senators who are 56 in number and their PDP counterparts who are 46.
Reliable sources from both camps revealed that while the APC senators at a meeting held in a Guest House at the Asokoro District, vowed that no any form of negative resolutions would be allowed to be adopted on the action, their PDP counterparts in their own meeting held at a different Guest House, also in Abuja, vowed to move for resolution condemning the action.
Due to numerical weakness, sources from the PDP camp revealed that the two Presiding officers of the Senate, Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu later came up with the idea of approaching the Supreme Court for interpretation of actions already taken against the suspended CJN by President Buhari.
The idea, the sources added, was later sold to the eight principal officers across the two party lines before eventually approaching the Apex court.
The principal officers who keyed into the idea along with Saraki and Ekweremadu, are the Senate Leader, Ahmad Lawan (APC Yobe North), Deputy Leader, Bala Ibn Na’Allah (APC Kebbi South), Chief Whip, Olusola Adeyeye (APC Osun central) and Deputy Whip , Francis Alimikhena (APC Edo North).
Others are the Senate Minority Leader, Biodun Olujimi (PDP Ekiti South), Deputy Minority Leader, Emmanuel Bwacha (PDP Taraba South), Minority Whip, Philip Aduda (PDP FCT) and Deputy Minority Whip, Emmanuel Paulker (PDP Bayelsa Central).
