Senate Mace And Senator Agege's Legislative Rascality.
Nigerian democratic experiment suffered a major setback today, Wednesday 18th April, 2018 as the senator representing Delta Central Senatorial District, Mr. Augustine Ovie Omo Agege in company of some hardened criminals forcefully removed the Mace during plenary inside the hallowed chambers of the Senate.
The mace known as the official symbol and authority of the highest legislative body in Nigeria, was in its usual place below the exalted arena of the presiding Deputy Senate President when Mr Ovie Omo Agege walked in, in company of some unsuspected hoodlums.
The criminal act was committed immediately Agege gave way in front of the mace and it was picked up by one of the hoodlums; protected by other members of the Agege gang and they zoomed off in a waiting black SUV. It was well planned with the aid of some insiders. The CCTV shall provide more evidence for the treason conspiracy charge.
The history of Agege's large heart for criminality dates back to his college and University days. He went through the four walls of the University with the influence of his late father, Justice James Omo Agege of blessed memory. He had to drop "Augustine" from his names so as to earn new identity.
While in the United States, Ovie Omo Agege committed several heinous crimes including perjury and documents forgery and was duly rusticated from practicing law in that country. He ran away from the United States and arrived Nigerian without a dollar in his pocket.
Upon arrival in Nigeria, a prominent politician in Delta Central Senatorial District, Chief Ighoyota Amori introduced Ovie Omo Agege to Chief James Ibori the then executive governor of Delta State, who later appointed Agege as his Executive Assistant. Agege rose to become Secretary to Delta State Government under Chief Ibori.
While in Delta State government both as EA and SSG, Agege was well known for crude politics, parading dreaded political thugs and deviants in the state; a character which till date singled out the disgraced Senator as the patron of criminals and political thugs.
What happened in the hallowed chambers of the Senate today is nothing compared to the criminal sagacity of Agege. He has the capacity to do even more than that. He's the type Urhobo people refers to as "ONOGBO-ZIGHI, meaning a HARDENED CRIMINAL and a dreaded RASCAL" with uncommon hunger for high level criminal activities.
The video clips of what transferred today at the Red Chambers is a first degree primary evidence to nail the undistinguished Senator over clear reasonable felony, a well planned coup d'etat against the legislative arm of government capable of truncating our hard earned constitutional democracy.
It must be stated that Senator Ovie Omo Agege was a member of the Ethics and Privileges Committee of the 8th Assembly and he played key roles in the suspension of Senator Ali Ndume who served 90 days. The same Agege is the one now behaving like a wild snake caged in a small hole.
It was okay for Ndume to be suspended but illegal for Agege to be suspended even though he was a member of Ethics and Privileges Committee of the Senate. He was indeed a proud member and also took part in investigations and subsequent recommendations for sanction.
When we say that Senator Agege is not qualified to be a senator, it is meant that Agege who was earlier convicted for perjury and document forgery in the United States of America, ought not to be cleared by security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for any elective office in Nigeria. He is not fit in character and grossly deficient in conduct.
Agege lacked moral and legal justification to contest for any elective position in Nigeria; his 2015 political drama to the Red Chambers is still fresh in our memories.
The Court of Appeal had earlier declared distinguished Senator Ighoyota Amori as winner and was returned. Somewhere along the line, Agege was alleged to have sold some of his choice properties in Lagos and Port Harcourt, pumped the proceeds into a mysterious legal battle and same Court of Appeal via a ten minutes judgement reversed itself and gave judgement in favour of Agege.
It is clear and unarguable that Agege did not consider the reversionary effect of his criminal actions on the good people of Delta Central Senatorial District before he conspired with paid hoodlums to invade the Senate during peaceful plenary.
Thus, the unscrupulous victory given to Agege which saw him through to the Red Chambers has now become sorrow, shame and agony for Urhobo Nation of Delta Central and by extension the Nigerian Nation.
Today, Agege rudely tarnished the already battered image of Nigeria under President Buhari and All Progressives Congress (APC) as a result of his mad quest to be recognised and adopted as Urhobo member of the Buharists.
Agege must realised that there is nothing on earth that will change his Urhobo identity to that of Hausa-Fulani or a member of the Sokoto Caliphate. Never. Therefore, this madness to fight for Buhari can never add an atom of respect and recognition to his already brutalized political image.
I am pretty sure that the American Embassy in Nigeria, shall add the latest criminal records of Agege to their database, so also for other embassies and international organisations especially the European Union and the African Union.
Agege had through his mad hunger for political power debased himself and brought shame and disgrace to Justice Agege family, Urhobo Nation and Nigeria at large.
His quest for unmerited political limelight in a party he defected to less than two years ago is laughable. He shall remain a "sacrificial lamb" whose blood is good for nothing.
Agege's foolishness, greed and large appetite for criminality and unscrupulous ventures has showcased him as a common criminal who ought not to be cleared by security agencies and INEC for election in 2015.
There are underground moves by eligible voters in Delta Central Senatorial District to collect signatures in all eight local government Areas to recall Agege; now nick-named "ONOGBO-ZIGHI" of Urhobo Nation (Meaning the most dreaded and hardened criminal in Urhobo Nation).
A man who had the enfrontery to recruit hoodlums, beat security checkpoints and operatives to forcefully steal the mace of the Red Chambers must not be spared. Agege must face the law, a charge for reasonable felony is the most ideal for hardened criminals like Agege and members of his gang.
The principles of conspiracy and common intention must be invoked together with other evidential proof as can be seen in the video clips aired by Channels Television.
The evidential weight of the video clips cannot be over emphasized. Images of the Close Circuit Television (CCTV) in and around the National Assembly must be screened and merged with those recorded on the floor of the Senate during plenary session to clearly reveal the dramatic and well coordinated movements of the hoodlums side by side Agege to the mace stand before it was forcefully removed.
Of a truth, today has been a sad moment for the nation, Delta Central and Delta State over this treasonable felony committed by a deviant senator of the federal republic of Nigeria.
Agege must be made to pay for his criminal activities, unwarranted rascality and shameful misrepresentation of the good people of Delta Central Senatorial District at the Red Chambers.
Finally, Omo Agege must be recalled. The process begins right now.
END
Fred Oghenesivbe is a lawyer, public affairs analyst and full member of the Nigerian Institute of Interntional Affairs (NIIA). He wrote from Asaba in Delta State.