“Tell me, when they shutdown the National Assembly when they knew that matters as demanding urgent attention as INEC’s 2019 elections budget was pending, were they doing that in national interest? But it was in your media, The DEFENDER that we read that even a PDP senator admitted that the shutdown was actually to re-strategise against removal of Saraki. Then why are people talking about security doing their own job without consideration of politics?” He asked.
Some senators and members of the House of Representatives forced their way into the premises of the National Assembly despite a mounted security at the entrance gates.
What the lawmakers mainly of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) wanted to do in the Assembly chambers while they are in recess which bounds on other lawmakers of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was unknown as at time of filing this report.
Some of the observers, who spoke on the development, said understandably Senate President Bukola Saraki had summoned an emergency meeting of leadership of the National Assembly but that it was not early in the morning but afternoon of Tuesday.
They therefore wondered what the mission of PDP lawmakers of both chambers were that they, who openly announced to Nigerians that they were on annual recess, now tried to sneak into the chambers without the presence of their APC counterparts.
“This aspect is very suspicious. Don’t forget that Abu Ibrahim had exposed Saraki and Dogara as wanting to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari the very Thursday next to the day of APC senators defections while the Assembly was in recess. Why are these PDP lawmakers so desperate?” One of the observers asked, condemning those who blame the security agency therefore for wanting to protect democracy by blocking their illegal sneaking into a National Assembly that is not owned by only one party.
He added that the siege by the DSS might be informed by intelligence and that nobody should blame the security agencies when what they do is in national interest.
“Tell me, when they shutdown the National Assembly when they knew that matters as demanding urgent attention as INEC’s 2019 elections budget was pending, were they doing that in national interest? But it was in your media, The DEFENDER that we read that even a PDP senator admitted that the shutdown was actually to re-strategise against removal of Saraki. Then why are people talking about security doing their own job without consideration of politics?” He asked.
The lawmakers were led by Boma Goodhead, a PDP House of Representatives member from Rivers State.
Despite attempts by the DSS men blocking the entrance, the female lawmaker forced her way in and was followed by Reps Agbedi Frederick from Bayelsa State and Joseph Akinlaja from Ondo State among others.
Senators Ubale Shittu, Isa Hamma Misau and Ben Murray Bruce as well as Rep Razak Atunwa also later gained entrance.
Men of the State Security Service (DSS) reportedly took over the National Assembly morning of Tuesday and prevented lawmakers, journalists and staff from entrance.
The DSS men who appeared battle ready took strategic positions at all the gates leading to the National Assembly premises.
While some of the DSS men were masked, some are unmasked.
Senator Rafiu Ibrahim, one of the lawmakers blocked at the National Assembly entrance, told journalists that: “We’re legislators and we’re supposed to have access to our offices.
“The DSS came and blocked the whole entrance to the National Assembly and said it is orders from the above. We’re here waiting to know who gave such orders.”
