Nigerian Senate has said it cannot make public the outcome of its investigation against Adamawa lawmaker, Elisha Abbo, who was caught on camera assaulting a woman in a sex toy shop in Abuja.
According to reports, the Senate spokesperson, Godiya Akwashiki, said this while speaking with journalists after plenary on Thursday, December 12th where he was quoted to have said;
“I know vividly when that issue was brought to the plenary under matters of urgent importance, a senator raised an observation saying this issue is in a court of law. It’s not an issue we should disturb ourselves over.
“Please, I want to speak like a lawmaker. Once an issue is in a court of law, there is a limit for us to discuss it in the plenary.”
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While Akwashiki rationalised the Senate’s delay in debating the report, section 88 of the Constitution, which empowers the National Assembly to investigate allegations of misconduct against members, gives no such restriction.
An investigation by the legislative arm, the section states, could be over the conduct of any “person, authority, or government body that has the duty of executing or administering laws enacted by the National Assembly.”
Although such investigations cannot be aimed to punish, the section states that it shall only be either to “make laws with respect to any matter within its legislative competence and correct any defects in existing laws” or “expose corruption, inefficiency or waste in the execution or administration of laws within its legislative competence”.
