Abuja
An electrical upsurge from the technical room at the basement of the Senate wing of the National Assembly (NASS) yesterday prevented the upper legislative chamber from holding plenary.
The upsurge which enveloped the ground and first floors of the wing with thick smoke for about an hour, delayed commencement of the later adjourned plenary to 11:15am.
Within five minutes of the delayed sitting, call for adjournment was made by Senator Ibrahim Gobir (APC, Sokoto East) through a point of order.
Gobir, in moving the motion through Order 43 under self-explanation, said the atmosphere in the chamber and the entire Senate wing was not conducive for any legislative proceedings.
“Mr President, may I move that due to the unfriendly atmosphere at the senate wing this morning including the chamber, that plenary should be adjourned till Tuesday, 20th February, 2018.”, he said .
Consequently the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, concurred with the submission of Gobir by putting the motion to voice votes.
Saraki, before putting the motion, said what it was obvious that the atmosphere was not conducive for any serious legislative business which makes adjournment very necessary.
Senators, therefore, overwhelmingly shouted ayes ! when it was put to vote.
Investigations conducted by our reporter later revealed that the electrical upsurge specifically happened at Technical Room 63 of the Senate basement at about 10am, allegedly caused by a glut of currents in some of the wires which led to multiple burnings.
Efforts made to speak to the Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Mohammed Ataba Sani Omolori, proved abortive.
