Have you too heard that the Nigerian Senate has summoned the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN) to appear before it for making ‘uncomplimentary remarks’ against the upper chamber?
Well, the legal luminary has responded by saying that the Red Chamber lacks the power to summon him.
He, therefore, lambasted the lawmakers for attempting to flex constitutional muscles which he said they did not possess.
The Senate had on Wednesday proposed to invite Sagay for saying that senators were irresponsible and childish during an interview with The PUNCH.
However, the senior advocate maintained that he was not misquoted in The PUNCH report and therefore stood by his claim. He said he had not received any letter from the upper legislative chamber.
The law professor said the senators were ignorant of Section 88 of the 1999 Constitution.
He said, “I am waiting for the Senate summons. In any case, they don’t have the remotest of powers or authority to summon me because their power to summon people is very limited if you look at Section 88 and Section 89 of the constitution.
“I don’t fall under the category of people that they can summon. I am not operating any federal programme to which they have voted money. They are not investigating me based on anything for which they have voted money. So, there is nothing they can do about it.
“I expressed my personal view and if you feel very strongly about it, you can go to court and sue for defamation. That is the best anybody can do but to say I should come before the Senate committee based on an accusation by the same Senate committee which is going to act as a judge in the same case? It will charge me and judge me? It is unconstitutional and illegal.”
Credit: punchng.com
