A Senator, Abdul Ningi (PDP-Bauchi), on Tuesday urged the Senate to intervene in the suspension of the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, over his handling of Xenophobia crisis in South Africa.
Ningi made the call on the floor of the Senate in Abuja.
He recalled that the suspension of the Permanent Secretary, Danjuma Sheni, followed his role is the purported recall of the Nigerian Ambassador to South Africa for consultation on the xenophobic issue.
He observed that Sheni did not wait for order from President Gooodluck Jonathan before recalling the ambassador.
Ningi appealed to the lawmakers to wade into the matter and “rescue” the permanent secretary.
He said: “I want this Senate not to look the other way on the issue but to urge the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to tamper justice with mercy.
“It is important at times like this that the Senate President should urge President Jonathan to tamper justice with mercy, to save the permanent Secretary from being been dismissed.”
The senator, who admitted that only the President could instruct the recall of an ambassador, however, urged Jonathan whom he described as “a humble man”, to tamper justice with mercy with Sheni.
After debate on the issue, the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided at the plenary, shifted discussion on the issue to another day.