There was a mixture of shock and anger in the National Assemby on Tuesday as the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, allowed a retired Clerk of the Senate, Ibrahim Dauda El-Ladan, to sit at the table in Chambers during plenary despite the fact that he has retired.
El-Ladan was retired by the National Assembly Service Commission, NASC, last week for alleged forgery of documents and age falsification.
THE CONCLAVE reports that El-Ladan and two other permanent secretaries have been enmeshed in cases of forgery and age falsification in recent times, prompting the intervention and sanction by the NASC.
The commission had ordered El-ladan and another officer, Adebayo Anthony Adebanjo, to proceed on retirement with immediate effect, while Michael Okpara should retire in six months.
A woman, Isabella Ugochi Iloba, was appointed by the NASC as acting Clerk to the Senate in the stead of El-Ladan.
It was therefore a shocking spectacle when El-Ladan, the former Clerk of Senate, was seen carrying out his official assignment in the Senate Chambers.
Staff members and other stakeholders were seen in groups, wondering how and why the president of the Senate, who does not characteristically tolerate impunity, acts of disobedience, insubordination and disregard for constituted authority would allow El-ladan into the chamber to preside at the table.
They also berated the senate president for disregarding the appointment of Isabella Ugochi Iloba, by the NASC, as the acting clerk, Senate.
Some legal pundits have pointed out the danger in allowing a retired officer to preside and participate in the proceedings of the Senate as happened on Tuesday.
They opined that whatever the senate did on Tuesday was a nullity as it was illegal.
They said that it was an aberration of established norms and convention.
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