By Omololu Ogunmade

But for the prompt intervention of fellow senators Wednesday, two of their colleagues, Senators Kabir Marafa (Zamfara Central) and Paulinus Igwe (Ebonyi Central), would have degenerated into fisticuffs, during plenary on the floor of the Senate.

The incident arose from the confusion, which enveloped the chamber following a heated debate on the State of the Nation Address Bill that was returned to the chamber by President Goodluck Jonathan last week.

Jonathan had while returning the bill to the chamber, cited Section 67 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which he said, had already addressed the issues in the bill.

The president therefore proposed some amendments to the bill, which he asked the Senate to consider before he could assent to the bill.

The proposed amendments include the grace period of 30 days from the beginning of the legislative year before the presentation, as well as the power to delegate the presentation to the vice-president, among other issues.

However, during a debate on the president’s proposed amendments Wednesday, tempers rose as a majority of the senators condemned the president’s action and implored their colleagues to override the veto.

The matter, however, got to a head when Senator Ita Enang, citing some provisions in the constitution and other laws, said the president had no power to propose amendments to a bill once it had been passed into law.

He warned his colleagues against buying into the idea lest it becomes a precedent for the chamber in the future.

According to him, since there was a public hearing before the passage of the bill, which gave the president the opportunity to make input into the bill, it would be wrong of him to come up with amendments after the bill had been passed.

He also said Section 67 of the Constitution, which Jonathan cited as the basis for returning the bill, should be taken to the Supreme Court for interpretation as he agreed with Section 1 (3) of the Constitution that any law that is not consistent with the constitution would give way.

However, Enang’s submission that the president could not propose amendments to a bill after passage triggered a row in the chamber which had already indicated its intent to vote on whether to override the president’s veto on the bill or accede to his request.

In the midst of the ensuing confusion, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, who had earlier canvassed overriding the president’s veto, raised a point of order and moved a motion for adjournment through the Senate’s Standing Rules.

The motion served as an escape route for a confused parliament which was clearly divided on what decision to take as Senate President David Mark quickly upheld the motion, suspended the decision to vote on the bill and immediately called for a voice vote on whether to adjourn the day’s sitting without any resolution on the debate.

But during the voice vote, the number of those who wanted the Senate to vote and override the president’s veto was much higher than those who wanted the decision on the bill to be put on hold.

This led to more confusion as Mark, who seemed flustered, though desirous of saving the president’s veto from being overridden, became indecisive, thus creating a lull in the chamber for no fewer than 15 minutes.

During the lull, the senators formed caucuses and began to converse in groups.

It was during the interlude that Marafa, who was visibly agitated, raised his hand to strike Igwe but other senators quickly moved in to avert the blow. Although Igwe walked away from the scene, efforts to calm Marafa down were ignored by the Zamfara senator who insisted on beating up his colleague and was seen rolling up the sleeves of his agbada several times while several senators strived to calm him down.

Shocked by the incident, Mark while calling the Senate to order, said: “We are distinguished senators, we have ways of resolving issues, not by boxing.

“In any case, for the first time in 14 years, I have seen an effort by people to pull out boxing gloves. But it is never necessary. It must never happen. We are distinguished senators and we are elder statesmen. We can do all the talking but we should never resort to boxing.

“I want to appeal once more that we suspend the debate on this for today because of the way tempers have risen. We are all on the same wave length and we will do what is necessary in the best interest of this country and we don’t have to fight to do it.”

Mark said the loophole which Jonathan had exploited to propose the amendment to a bill passed by the parliament was contained in the Standing Rule of the Senate, which he said came into existence following former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s decision to propose amendments to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Act after it was passed and signed.

He said it was that incident that led to the precedent confronting the Senate Thursday.

“As it is, we have boxed ourselves into a corner. We have this rule and as Ita Enang clearly pointed out, any act that is against the constitution, is null and void.

“But it is not as simple and straight forward as that because we now have a standing rule,” Mark said.

While some senators argued that the president’s amendment was sound because the bill attempts to make the presentation of the address compulsory for him, saying there is nowhere in the constitution where the president is tasked, as a matter of compulsion, to present an address before the parliament; others disagreed, arguing that it was a deliberate decision by the president to decline assent to the bill.

Eventually, the senators yielded to Mark’s appeal to suspend the resolution on the president’s request and suspended a decision on the bill indefinitely.

But Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe later told journalists that the averted brawl between the senators did not arise from the commotion created by the State of the Nation Address Bill.

He said it was the fallout of the Point of Order raised by Senator Garba Mohammed (Kano Central) at the commencement of the day’s sitting, when he had told the Senate that he would move a motion on the move by Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, to arm vigilante men in his state.

According to Abaribe, Marafa had exploited the opportunity of the lull in the chamber to challenge Mohammed’s decision to move a motion on issues affecting his own state (Zamfara), being a senator from Kano, explaining that while the argument between him and Mohammed lasted, Igwe interfered, saying neither of them ought to attempt moving such a motion without consulting him as the Chairman, Committee on Police Affairs.

He said it was in the midst of this argument that Marafa flared up and attempted to assault his colleague.
http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/fracas-averted-as-senate-suspends-vote-on-state-of-the-nation-bill/152401/

Another Senator fighting over inconsequential tings

This is a more concise report. Balanced and I think the truth of what happened not half baked. Kudos thisday news.