Rogue Reputation Of The National Assembly And The Current Lockdown
The Oasis Reporters
August 7, 2018
When Timi Frank,
former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), released a Press Statement on
7/8/2018 that
*Oshiomhole, DG DSS, 30 APC Senators have met on how to impeach Saraki, many did not take him seriously. But the events currently playing out at the National Assembly with the lockdown of the complex under the watch or supervision of armed masked security officials lends credence to it all.
“Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, has accused the National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, the Director General of the Department of State Services (DG – DSS), Lawan Daura and 30 APC Senators – led by the Senate Leader Ahmad Lawan, of spearheading a fresh plot to illegally impeach the President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki.
Frank who raised the alarm in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday morning, said the group met last night in Abuja to perfect strategies on how to carry out the plot.
He said that he has reliable information that the meeting was at the instance of Oshiomhole who is currently pressurizing President Muhammadu Buhari to accept his proposal of using “crude tactics” to topple Saraki and his Deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu.
He said according to reliable information emanating from the meeting, that that National Vice Chairman (Southwest) of the APC, Chief Adeniyi Adebayo, joined Oshiomhole in pushing for the illegality while some APC Senators and House of Representatives members at the meeting kicked against the plot saying any “forceful removal of Saraki without due process will not fly with Nigerians.”
The lawmakers, according to Frank, were said to have further alerted Oshiomhole and the APC leadership that they only have 30 Senators on ground which will fall short of the 73 Senators required to lawfully impeach Saraki.
According to them, while other APC Senators have since travelled out of the country on vacation, a proposal to appoint Senator Lawan from Yobe State as Saraki’s replacement would be a direct violation of the Federal Character Principle since the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara is from Bauchi in the Northeast zone like Lawan.
Following the red flag raised by some of the APC Senators who warn of the consequences of the proposed illegality, according to Frank, the meeting was said to have been rescheduled to reconvene by 11am this morning to enable Oshiomhole to call Mr. President in London at 9am this morning to brief him on the progress made so far.
It was further learnt that Oshiomhole is expected to present the candidature of both Senators Lawan and George Akume to the President to make his choice during his proposed telephone conversation with Mr. President by 9am.
He added that the Presidency through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has increased the $400,000 it is already offering to lure individual lawmakers to support the plot to illegally impeach Saraki to $500,000. He said the lawmakers are also being wooed with offers to drop all corruption charges against them by the Federal Government.
He insisted that Saraki’s life and personal safety is at stake while appealing to Nigerians and leaders of the international community to urgently speak out to protect the President of the Senate, Saraki, and safeguard democracy in Nigeria.
He said that the illegal plot to break into the Senate Chambers to illegally impeach Saraki, if allowed to happen, could lead to chaos and anarchy of unimaginable proportion in the country, capable of burying the nation’s democracy apart from the danger it portents for the lives, security and safety of Nigerians.
Comrade Timi Frank
Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC”.
The president of the country, Muhammadu Buhari should resist this plot by certain APC hawks to bring democracy into troubled waters in Nigeria. If Saraki is removed using strong arm tactics, it is Buhari’s image that would take a dent. When he first brought down Democracy using guns the first time in 1983, Nigerians forgave him about thirty years later. His reputation might not receive any second chance again, should he try it. He should remember that election awaits in 2019. Nigerians may humiliate anti democratic persons at the polls.
The legislative arm and it’s independence should and must be respected. Both the Senate and the House of Representatives have earned their rogue reputation since 2015. It must be sustained.