By Emeka Alex Duru
The last time the Mace, the legislative symbol of authority, made news at the national level, was in the early days of the current dispensation, when the then Senate President, Chuba Okadigbo, was engaged in consuming face-off with erstwhile President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Not counted among the various tendencies that constituted the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), especially the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) that was seen as the nucleus, Obasanjo was largely seen as a stranger in the party.
But not wanting to be kept at the backdoor, the former president bulldozed his way into the party and forcefully took over the critical segments of its decision making processes, having his way in selecting the less-fancied Evan Enwerem as Senate President, against Okadigbo, the popular choice, at the inauguration of the National Assembly.
But less than a year, after, Enwerem was enmeshed in certificate scandal that led to his removal by his colleagues.
In his place, Okadigbo was elected. But that did not go down well with Obasanjo. Shortly after, Okadigbo was entangled in controversies over exercise of anticipatory approvals on furniture allowances for himself and other senators.
Cashing in on the division among senators, Obasanjo moved in and sided those that wanted Okadigbo out. Those that were in support of the late Senate President, however remained unyielding.
In order to get hold of the mace, offices were invaded at odd hours and during weekends, by thugs suspected to be working for either of the groups.
At a time, Okadigbo was accused of hiding the mace at his home, town, Ogbunike, in Oyi council of Anambra State, over the weekends and, during NASS recesses.
He eventually went down and was replaced with Anyim Pius Anyim. That was the last time the Mace was tampered with at the National Assembly.
But in what seemed a return to the heady days, the lawmakers’ instrument of authority, was heavily assaulted on Wednesday, April 18, 2018, when thugs, said to be acting at the behest of suspended Senator Ovie Omo-Agege (Delta Central), invaded the Senate chambers and made away with it.
The thugs, numbering 15, were said to have followed the Senator to the National Assembly complex, but eight of them entered the Senate chamber and made away with the Mace.
Our reporter learnt, however that after 40 minutes of the commotion, the Senate resumed plenary, with another Mace. Nigerians are yet to get over the shock.
Until recently, Omo-Agege, who had come to the upper lawmaking house on the ticket of the Labour Party (LP), before crossing over to the All Progressives Congress (APC), had not particularly attracted attention to Nigerians.
Aside pushing for a Bill criminalizing sexual harassment in the universities and prescribing punishment for lecturers caught in the act, not much had really been known about him, particularly in terms of making contributions at the plenary.
But since the Senate passed a Bill re-arranging the order of the 2019 general election in which the Presidential election comes last, as against the earlier release by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which places it first, the Senator has been at odds with his colleagues.
Recall that the Senate, had, last Wednesday, April 11, suspended Omo- Agege for 90 legislative days, for kicking against the new sequence of elections which he alleged was targeted at President Muhammadu Buhari ahead of 2019 election.
As part of the conditions to forgive him at the expiration of the suspension, he had been asked to withdraw his suit against the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and the Senate from the court.
The Senate had also mandated that Parliamentary Support Group ( Senate) for President Muhammadu Buhari in which Omo- Agege is the Secretary and Senator Abdullahi Adamu (APC, Nasarawa West), is the Chairman, be disbanded immediately.
Decisions of the Senate were subsequent to the report of Senator Samuel Anyanwu, (PDP, Imo East) – led Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions which investigated Omo-Agege.
Incidentally, it was barely a week into the Senate decision that the embattled Senator struck. Though reports indicated that he had been picked up by the Police, not many were amused at his action and whatever that may have prompted it.
Casual interpreters of the development, have not seen anything unusual in the act, stressing that there was nothing strange in it.
A former Editor in the rested Post Express Newspapers, Ibe Okpokwu, had in fact, scoffed at the affair, stressing that there was nothing unusual in it. “At a time, the Mace travelled as far as Ogbunike, in Oyi LGA, Anambra State”, he remarked, in an encounter with TheNiche.
His colleague, erstwhile Managing Editor of Independent Newspapers, Olisa Egbunike, however disagreed. If anything, he was worried at the development and what it portends for the country in the days ahead.
“I am worried but not the type that will affect my health. My worries followed the daily degeneration of our government and governance.
“Or seriously, how can you explain this morning (Wednesday) invasion of the Senate? How can the Senate be invaded without the active participation of the security operatives there?
“Honestly, Nigerians will soon understand the nature of the emerging despotic rule we are in as the election creeps on us”, he lamented.
APC, in a release by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, also condemned the action, describing it as “an attack on our democracy and a desecration of the hallowed institution of the National Assembly”.
It called on security agencies to take all necessary actions to recover the stolen mace and ensure that the perpetrators and their sponsors were brought to justice.
PDP also frowned at the development, describing it as a direct assault on the legislature and bold attempt to truncate Nigeria’s democracy.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP noted that the sordid action had “been emboldened by series of interferences and direct attacks by the APC and the Buhari Presidency on the institution of the National Assembly, particularly the Senate”.
The fear among informed critics, is that assault on the legislature in the past, had always impacted negatively on the country in many ways.
At the local level where the incidence was more rampant until recently, governance in affected states, had suffered gravely as the lawmakers found themselves more involved in politics of leadership and survival at the expense of providing the needed checks on the activities of the executive.
In similar vein, while the situation prevailed at the senate, Obasanjo almost appropriated the powers of the National Assembly until the Senators, learning from the more cohesive House of Representatives, then led by Ghali Umar Na’Abba, closed their ranks.
Historians also recall that even in the First Republic, it was essentially, the attack on the Western House of Assembly and assault on the Mace, that created room for more confusion that resulted to the so-calledOperation Wetie, a euphemism for attack on opponents seen to be acting outside the mainstream political conviction of the time.
The ensuing fracas, gave way for the January 15, 1966 military coup.
Concerned analysts are warning against the development in the Senate slipping out of control and setting back the efforts at entrenching democracy in the land.