Senate and Reps disagree Over Extension Of State Of Emergency

One major issue that dominated deliberations at the National Assembly during the week (May 12-16) is the state of emergency in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa states.

President Goodluck Jonathan sent a letter to both chambers asking for the extension of emergency rule in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa states for another six months.

In a letter addressed to the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, President Jonathan said while substantial progress has been made to contain insecurity and restore normalcy in the three affected states, the security situation that necessitated the proclamation of the state of emergency was yet to abate.

This is the second time President Jonathan is seeking an extension of emergency rule in the three states. President Jonathan first proclaimed the state of emergency on May 14th 2013.

The emergency rule in the three states was later extended in November 2013 for another six months. But this recent request for an extension was not immediately granted by the national assembly.

The senate stood down the debate on the emergency rule insisting that they would have to meet with the security chiefs to assess the impact of the emergency rule that had been in place.

But even before the meeting with service chiefs, the caucus of northern lawmakers has made their position clear that they would not be voting in support of an extension of emergency rule.

The Senate did in fact meet behind closed doors with the service chiefs and would be voting on the extension of emergency rule next week.

Meanwhile in the House of Representatives, the debate on the extension was intense to say the least.

Lawmakers said the decision over an extension of emergency rule would be tough as the arguments against it are strong despite the many voices in its favor.

The argument in favor of the extension was that it would send wrong signals if the state of emergency is lifted now that strong support has been offered by the international community to tackle the insurgency in the area.

However most lawmakers from Borno and Yobe rejected the request saying the state of emergency has not achieved its purpose as the massacre and destruction there have continued unabated.

The House of Representatives met with service chiefs for more than two hours over issues surrounding the extension of state of emergency in the three north eastern states.

Despite what seemed like a unanimous decision, there were dissenting voices by some lawmakers who argued that it is unjustifiable and an outright imposition.


Source: Channels TV