You Can’t Summon Me, Sagay Fires Back At Senators

Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) Chairman,
Professor Itse Sagay (SAN) has said the Senate can not summon him for
expressing an opinion.
Sagay was reacting to a move by the Senate to summon him over comments he
made on the lawmakers.
According to him, the Senate lacks the authority to summon a private citizen.
Sagay said the lawmakers were embarking on a “futile” exercise that could
have “embarrassing consequences”.
According to Sagay, he does not fall within the category of government
officials that the Senate can summon.
He said he only exercised his constitutionally guaranteed right to hold an
opinion.
Sagay said a government official can be summoned during a amendment of a
law that affects the official’s agency, or where the official is directly
involved in spending monies appropriated by the National Assembly.
The eminent professor of law said any Senator who feels that his
reputation was damaged by his comments could seek redress in court.
He said the Senate was not a court of law before whom he could be ordered
to appear.