The chairman of the presidential advisory committee against corruption, Prof Itse Sagay (SAN), could be arrested by the Nigerian police for failing to honour a summons by the Nigerian senate, according to explanation given by a senior advocate of Nigeria, Mr Mike Ozekhome.
Ozekhome, speaking on Channels Television’s breakfast show, Sunrise Daily, on Friday, March 31, said the oversight functions of the Senate under sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 constitution empowers the upper chamber to book not only public officers, but all persons who have impute into matters over which the national assembly has powers to make laws.
The senior lawyer said under section 89, if anybody invited by the Senate fails to appear, the lawmakers could order the police to arrest such a person
He added that: “the Senate President or the Speaker of the House of Representatives if satisfied that the person has entered into recognizance, they can release the person but if not satisfied, they can tell them to keep the person there.”
Senate summoned Prof Itse Sagay on Wednesday, March 29, for allegedly making disparaging statement against the lawmakers.
The summons was in sequel to Sagay’s comments in reaction to the protest by the Senate against the retention of Mr Ibrahim Magu as the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission despite the rejection of his nomination by the lawmakers.
The lawmakers who took turns criticising, Sagay asked the legal icon to name the persons with questionable character in the upper chamber of the National Assembly.
Sagay however, said he was not going to honour the summons, insisting that he was not among the category of people the Senate had the right to summon.
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