The Clerk to the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa, on Tuesday declined comment when Senate correspondents approached him to explain what transpired between him and policemen over alleged forgery allegation.
A detachment of policemen had on Monday stormed the National Assembly to meet with the Clerk of the Nigerian Parliament.
Maikasuwa, who demonstrated his refusal not to utter a word on the matter to journalists, used two out of five fingers of his right hand to hold his lips when bombarded with questions.
It could be recalled that a week after the Inauguration of the 8th Senate by Maikasuwa in his capacity as Clerk to the National Assembly and in line with proclamation made to that effect by President Muhammadu Buhari, Senator Kabiru Marafa had on behalf of 32 other senators elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, who missed the inauguration, questioned the amended Senate Standing Order given to senators at the inauguration.
They alleged the new order was forged since there was no time such an amendment took place in the 7th Senate.
Marafa who came through Order 110 to level the allegation then, said the 8th Senate had been operating an amended version of the 2011 rule called “Rule 2015” without a valid amendment process as dictated by the Rules.
It was on the strength of the allegation that the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekwetemadu, submitted on the floor of the Senate that what happened as far as the Senate Standing Orders 2015 (as amended) was concerned as a replacement for that of 2011, was not forgery but amendment in the true sense.
This was a submission that made the Senate Unity Forum, through its Secretary, Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi (APC-Kaduna North), to write a written petition against EKweremadu and the Clerk of the National Assembly to the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, last week.
This formed the basis upon which the police stormed the National Assembly on Monday for interrogation of Maikasuwa.
Apparently to settle the dust his interrogation by the Police must have caused the Senate leadership, Maikasuwa and other top management team of the National Assembly pledged their loyalty to them through an hurried courtesy visit paid the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, on Tuesday.
Maikasuwa with other directors on Tuesday paid a courtesy visit to congratulate Saraki on his emergence as Senate president.
They also assured him and the 8th National Assembly as a whole of the commitment of the entire management staff of the National Assembly.
Maikasuwa said: “We are here to once again congratulate you on your election as president of the Senate and to assure you of the commitment of the National Assembly to ensure that we will partner with you so that you will be able to deliver on your campaign promises and the promises you made when you were delivering your acceptance speech during the inauguration of the National Assembly.
“We are a united bureaucracy and we are dedicated.
“We are very loyal and would continue to pursue effective service delivery in the interest of the National Assembly and Nigeria as a whole.”
Also emphasizing the issue of commitment and loyalty, Saraki in his response said the reason the National Assembly’s management was invited was to plead for their total support and commitment to the 8th National Assembly.
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