NASS Commotion: Mark Bears No Grudge Against House Members Who Attacked Him
Featured, Latest Headlines Friday, November 21st, 2014
Ayodele Afolabi, Abuja
President of the Senate, Senator David Mark has provided insights into his visit to the Green Chamber of the House of Representatives in the heat of the pandemonium that occurred in the National Assembly on Thursday.
NASS members jump fence of the national assembly during Tuesday Police siege on the assembly complex
Already, Speaker Aminu Tambuwal and Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger state have appealed to the President of the Senate to tamper justice with mercy and forgive Hon. Abdul Malik Usman Cheche (PDP Niger) who assaulted him on the floor of the House on Thursday.
In a statement from his office, Mark explained that he was in the House “to ascertain the safety of Speaker Aminu Tambuwal and his colleagues having received reports that canisters of tear gas were targeted at the Lawmakers.
“I also went to confer with Mr. Speaker on the need to suspend plenary in both chambers in order to restore sanity to an environment that had turned restive and becoming uncontrollable.
“My intention was to safeguard the sanctity of the hallowed Chamber and to guarantee the respect of the legislature. I consider the unwarranted and needless attack on my person by Hon. Abdulmalik Usman Cheche as a prize and sacrifice for leadership. It is a sacrifice I am prepared to accept.
“I was physically stopped at the gate and booked from accessing the National Assembly complex for about an hour. I was also tear gassed at the lobby of the White House as I made my return from the Green Chamber.
“In all these, I bear no ill feeling. AbdulMalik is my colleague. I have forgiven him. I believe we can continue to work together in the interest of peace and sustenance of democracy.
“Like I have repeatedly said, I will do anything necessary to keep the sanctity of the parliament as an institution and safeguard the respect of every legislator.
“I therefore urge all political actors to always remember that we must first have a nation before we can achieve our various individual ambitions. We must at all times restrain ourselves from actions that cannot add value to our hard earned democracy.
“We should remain guided by the rules no matter how strongly we perceive our positions to be the most appropriate.
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Good talk. Good talk. I am convinced the Senate President
is not the innocent bystander , with clean intentions.
He simply plays a well contrived rôle.