Senate on Thursday opposed President Muhammadu Buhari’s deployment of Troops to The Gambia without approval of the National Assembly.

The Federal Government had deployed Troops to Gambia, if President Yahya Jammeh refused to leave office and handover to President-elect, Adama Barrow by January 19.

Speaking during plenary, Chukwuka Utazi (PDP-Enugu), who raised a Point of Order said President Buhari violated the constitution by deploying troops to Gambia without approval of the National Assembly.

He said it was “an affront to the constitution to ask that this country will go on a warfare in another country.

However, President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, while responding said “notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection (4) of this Section, the president, in consultation with the National Defence Council, may deploy members of the armed forces of the federation on a limited combat duty outside Nigeria.

Provided that the President shall within seven days of actual combat engagement, seek the consent of the Senate and the Senate shall thereafter give or refuse the said consent within 14 days.

Contributing, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu said “the operational one as it affects us here is the (b) which says except with the prior approval of the Senate, no member of the armed forces of the federation shall be deployed on combat duty outside Nigeria’’.

Ekweremadu said though it was happening in the Gambia, they needed the approval of the Senate because that was not war.

He explained that a war situation was when you are talking about Section 5 and the president does not need our approval.