A blow-by-blow account of activities in the Senate before the proclamation of state of emergency by President Goodluck Jonathan.
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There was no doubt that the Senate President, David Mark and other principal members of the Senate in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, were privy to the decision to proclaim state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states before the commencement of last Tuesday's plenary. Any doubt was betrayed by the mood of the affected officers in the chamber while deliberation on issues of the day lasted on Tuesday.
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A day before the proclamation, President Goodluck Jonathan met with the National Assembly leadership during which the issue was extensively raised. The legislators were not opposed to the move, but they raised issues on the sustenance or otherwise of democratic structures in the states.