Nigeria’s Senate President Bukola Saraki speaks in his office in Abuja, Nigeria, after senators defected from President Buhari’s ruling All Progressives Congress, July 24, 2018. REUTERS/Paul Carsten
Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress has indicted the Senate president Bukola Saraki over the Tuesday National Assembly siege.
Masked operatives of the Department for State Services on Tuesday besieged the National Assembly, preventing federal lawmakers and journalists from entering the national assembly.
Opposition lawmakers accused the APC government of being behind the invasion. But the party and the Nigerian government have denied prior knowledge of the blockade and the director-general of the DSS was immediately sacked by the acting president, Yemi Osinbajo.
“Our Party wholly dissociates itself from any act of brigandage and affront on the sacred symbols of our budding democracy,” the APC said in a statement on Tuesday.
However, the party on Wednesday released another press statement signed by its acting national publicity secretary, Yekini Nabena, claiming that its “investigation” revealed that Senate President Bukola Saraki was behind the invasion.
APC accused Saraki, who only defected from the ruling party late July, of mobilising thugs to the National Assembly to stop his purported impeachment. It said the DSS only moved in to prevent any outbreak of violence.
“Following Tuesday’s incident at the National Assembly, our investigations have now uncovered the sinister plot hatched by the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki to foment violence in the legislative chamber all in a bid to stop his impeachment,” APC spokesman Yekini said in a statement.
“Why did the Senate President mobilise thugs to the National Assembly who almost lynched Hon. E.J. Agbonayinma, the only APC federal lawmaker present but for the timely intervention of security operatives.”
The party also faulted the meeting summoned by Saraki on Monday. The meeting was to have in attendance the principal officers of the national assembly yesterday to deliberate on urgent national matters.
Curiously, President Buhari’s aide on National Assembly matters Ita Enang earlier in the week urged federal lawmakers to cut short the annual recess in order to attend to urgent national matters including the budget for the 2019 general elections.
“Why did the Senate President reconvene the National Assembly? Ostensibly as a pre-emptive move to frustrate federal lawmakers move to impeach him,” Nabena said.
APC again called on the embattled Senate president to resign of his position “as he no longer has the moral and legitimate ground to occupy that position as a member of the minority PDP”.
APC indicts Saraki over NASS DSS siege
