The Senate at the weekend clarified its investigation of alleged involvement of Deputy President, Ovie Omo-Agege in the stealing of mace during the Eighth Assembly, declaring that it may close the case as soon as practicable.

Senate spokesman, Godiya Akwashiki, told journalists in an interview that the Ninth Senate would not investigate the mace theft allegation because there was the need to allow the matter to die with the Eighth Senate.

“As far as I am concerned, anything that affects the Eighth National Assembly or any uncompleted report expired with the life of the last Assembly. Any bills that were passed but not signed into law have expired with the last Assembly.

“As far as the Ninth National Assembly is concerned, even if we want to enact a bill, we have to start afresh. Any unresolved issue in the Eighth Assembly has gone forever. So, the implication is that the report of mace snatching has gone with the last Senate,” he explained.

National Assembly ad hoc joint committee probing the theft of the mace had submitted a report to that effect in both chambers since last year in which the committee headed by Bala Ibn Na’Allah reportedly indicted Omo-Agege.

It was also reported that the committee had recommended Omo-Agege’s suspension even as a source close revealed that the panel based its recommendation on relevant potions of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act 2017.

Contrary to a recent court ruling that the National Assembly has no powers to suspend its members, the committee was convinced that Omo-Agege breached sections of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act 2017,” he said.