BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU

ABUJA—THE Senate yesterday said it had no apology to render to Imo State governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, over its recent resolution which condemned the state governor for the alleged plan by the government to issue Identity Card to northerners residing in the state to guarantee their free movement.

It was reported that as a result of the recent discovery of bomb in a Winners Chapel Church in Owerri, the state capital, by the Boko Haram sect, the state government had planned to put in place security measures, including registration of people of northern extraction and issuance of ID card to them to have free movement.

The Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Abdul Ningi, had raised a point of order informing the Senate that the purported plan to register the northern people living in Imo State was in contravention of the constitution as amended.

Ningi, in the motion titled “ The Issuance of Identification Card to Northerners residing in Imo State – Urgent call for policy reversal”, noted with serious concern recent government policy statement issued by Imo State government directing all northerners residing or staying in the state to be issued with an identification card.

He argued that the policy contravened the provisions of section 41(1) and 42(1) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, which guaranteed, among others, free movement of Nigerians from any part of the country to the other and right of residence without any inhibition or condition whatsoever.

He added that the policy, if not reversed, was tantamount to gross abuse of the citizens rights.
But Imo State government in its reaction, demanded apology from the Senate for what it described as blackmail by some of its political opponents who were also eying the governor’s seat in 2015 election.

On the issue of apology demanded by Okorocha, Ekweremadu said the governor had the opportunity to brief senators from his state on the matter when the matter was first raised penultimate Tuesday and eventually debated upon two days later.

He also ruled out insinuations that the Senate was prosecuting Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, agenda by its resolution over the matter, stressing that senators from opposition political parties participated actively in the debate and voted on the motion.