The senate has taken the chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof. Itse Sagy to the cleaners describing his comments about the amendment of the 1999 constitution as “nonsensical”.
Sagy had, in a statement written in his personal capacity and not as chair of PACAC described the 8th Senate as “the worst in the history of Nigeria.”
Sagay who was angered that the senate had handled the constitution amendment rather perfunctorily and described it as a “hypocritical exercise which would lead nowhere” said the lawmakers would not return to the senate in 2019.
“This Senate is by far the worst in Nigerian history. Nothing good has ever emanated from them. Their grab for executive powers, confrontation with the President and Vice-President, their love of self-serving legislation and total insensitivity to the common interest of Nigeria is sensational and unprecedented.
“The outcome of all this malevolence against Nigerians is that they will achieve nothing before they leave in 2019, and Nigerians will turn out in millions to clap them out of relevance,” he said.
He further criticized the Bukola Saraki-led Senate for refusing to devolve power to the states, scrapping the State Independent Electoral Commission and for refusing to ensure 35 per cent affirmative action for women, among some other issues.
But in its reaction, the chairman, senate committee on media and public affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi-Abdullahi, asked Sagay to go back to the classroom if he had become overwhelmed by the national assignment given to him.
“He (Sagay) is entitled to his opinion. That people can make nonsensical statements is the beauty of democracy but to be totally irresponsible in denigrating state and democratic institutions is definitely unacceptable. He is not speaking as a private citizen, given his position in this government.
“He needs to guard his utterances. He is in a democratically elected government brought about by the electoral victory of our great party made possible by the collective efforts of party members, including members of the Senate and House of Representatives.
“If he does not understand the decorum and values of democracy, let him go back to the classroom; if he is still needed there. His disdain for the National Assembly surely makes him anti-democratic. In the alternative, I challenge him to contest in 2019 or forever remain silent,” said Sabi-Abdullahi
