Senate Defers Jonathan's Request For State Of Emergency Extension

President Goodluck Jonathan request for an extension of emergency rule in the three troubled States (Adamawa, Borno and Yobe).

The President had on Tuesday asked the Senate to increase the state of emergency in these three states for an extra six months.

The president had argued that the new extension is due to the continued insurgency in the three States.

The Senate, however, decided to only debate the issue in the presence of all the service and security chiefs in the country.

Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba who requested that the debate be moved to another date, because an aspect of a constitutional provision dealing with emergency rule had not been gazetted.

He said: “We must circulate the gazette before we can debate it. “Secondly, it is the tradition of this senate that we appraise and assess the performance of the state of emergency before we debate it.”

He also argued that the security chiefs be invited to state the performance of the current emergency rule in the troubled States.

He continued: “So I will move that this distinguished senate do invite the Chief of Army staff, the Chief of Naval staff, Chief of Air staff, the Inspector-General of Police to brief this distinguish senate tomorrow in a closed session to enable us to commence debate on the President’s request.”The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, agreed to the motion and said: “This motion is a very serious business which bothers on the security of a part of this country and we need to be well informed of the situation on ground and the efficiency or the effectiveness of the state of emergency in the past 12 months to enable us take a proper decision.

“I, therefore, appealed that in accordance with the motion moved by the senate leader, we should step it down till another legislative day,” Mr. Ekweremadu said.

Source: Legit.ng