The Senate President, David Mark, on Friday provided insights into his visit to the Green Chamber of the House of Representatives in the heat of the commotion in the National Assembly on Thursday.
Already, according to a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Senate President, Kola Ologbondiyan, Speaker Aminu Tambuwal and Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State have appealed to Mark to “tamper justice with mercy.”
They urged the Senate President to “forgive Hon. Abdul Malik Usman Cheche (PDP Niger) who assaulted him on the floor of the House on Thursday.”
Mark further explained that he was in the House “to ascertain the safety of 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 price and sacrifice for leadership. It is a sacrifice I am prepared to accept.
“I was physically stopped at the gate and blocked 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.”
