Ita Enang, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Legislative Matters (Senate) made the apology while fielding questions from journalists in Abuja on Friday.
Enang said that it was wrong for the Attorney General’s representative Mr Okoi Obono-Obla to have said that the Senate had no right to have invited the attorney General, Abubakar Malami. “I heard the statements after and I want to apologise to the Distinguished Senate, to the Committee on Judiciary and to the distinguished senators.
“That statement ought not to have been made: the Attorney General is Attorney General of the Federation, appointed by Mr President, cleared by the Senate and responsible for the federation.
“We are going into this matter, we will handle this matter but I first have to tender my unreserved apology for the impression it may have created to the distinguished Senate, senators and the committee members,” he said.
The Senate had invited the Attorney General to appear before its committee on Judiciary over a forgery case instituted against its members. However, the AGF who was absent was represented by Mr Okoi Obono-Obla, Special Assistant to President Buhari on Prosecution.
Although the committee refused to hear the representative, Mr Obla in an interview outside the hearing room. Obla in his interview said that “the senate had no right to invite the AGF” and that “the AGF was not answerable to the Senate”.
However, the SSA to President Buhari reiterated the apology to the Senate adding that the Attorney General was unavoidably absent. “The Attorney General spoke with me yesterday on the matter in the morning that he is on official assignment on behalf of the country.
“When he is in, we will make arrangement for him to respond appropriately: we want to apologise pending when he is back to respond appropriately,” he said.
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