The former governor of Ebonyi State said the embattled senator refused to make submissions before the ad hoc panel because he said doing so would be subjudice.
Senator Elisha Abbo
The Senate ad hoc committee investigating the alleged misconduct of Senator Elisha Abbo has said the victim allegedly slapped by the lawmaker in a viral video did not honour its invitation.
The Chairman of the panel, Senator Sam Egwu, who stated this at plenary session on Wednesday, said all efforts to make the assaulted lady and the shop owner appear before the committee did not succeed.
The former governor of Ebonyi State said the embattled senator refused to make submissions before the ad hoc panel because he said doing so would be subjudice.
He also said both the commissioner of police in charge of the FCT command and the lawyers of the victims also refused to make submissions, citing the same reasons.
Egwu, therefore, requested that his panel’s investigations be stepped down pending the determination of the criminal case instituted against Abbo by the police.
The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, who presided over the plenary session, disagreed with Egwu, stressing that the panel could go ahead with its work notwithstanding the court case.
Lawan said what the Senate was investigating was the alleged misconduct of its member and not the criminal case against him which is already being handled by the police.
Egwu therefore sought the permission of the leadership for a one-week extension to enable him to submit the report.
The Senate President granted the request and asked Egwu to submit the report next week.