Department of State Service has ended their blockade of the National Assembly.
The operatives were seen departing the complex at 2.47pm.
They started leaving after the news of the sacking of their Director-General, Lawal Daura, got to them.
The siege to the National Assembly started about 6am on Tuesday.
DSS operatives initially prevented senators, Reps, members of staff and journalists from accessing the complex.
They later allowed lawmakers in but without their cars, forcing them to walk about 400 metres to the lobby of the White House.
However, no non-legislator was allowed in until the siege ended.
APC dissociates self from National Assembly siege.
The All Progressives Congress has dissociated itself from the early morning siege at the National Assembly by masked officials of the Department of State Services based on “orders from above.”
In a statement signed by its Acting National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, in Abuja, on Tuesday, the APC said what happened at the National Assembly was purely a “legislative matter.”
The statement read, “Our attention has been drawn to mischievous attempts in some partisan quarters to link Tuesday’s developments in the National Assembly to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
“While the Party is monitoring the developments in the National Assembly like every other concerned Nigerian and stakeholder, there is absolutely no basis for all the false allegations and attempt to blame the APC National Chairman for the development there. It is strictly a legislative matter.”
Senators got $1m each to impeach Saraki, Kwara lawmaker Rafiu Ibrahim alleges.
Senator Rafiu Adebayo Ibrahim (PDP-Kwara South), has alleged that lawmakers under the aegis of Parliamentary Support Group, were given $1m each to impeach Senate President Bukola Saraki and his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu.
The lawmaker said this on Tuesday in an interview with reporters at the National Assembly.
His allegations could, however, not be independently verified, as none of the leading members of the Parliamentary Support Group for Muhammadu Buhari could be reached for comments.
Calls to the mobile telephone numbers of Senators Ovie Omo-Agege and Ali Ndume who are vocal members of the PSG were neither picked nor returned. A response to a text message sent to them was still being expected as at the time of filing this report
Ibrahim, who is a member of the pro-Saraki group of Senators, also protested the invasion of the National Assembly by officers of the Department of State Services and the Police.
He said: “I can authoritatively tell you that those senators behind the desecration of the National Assembly collected $1m each to impeach the Senate President and his Deputy. You can quote me anywhere on this.”
A prominent member of the Pro-Saraki group, Senator Dino Melaye (PDP-Kogi West) also accused the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Adams Oshiomhole, of collecting signatures of lawmakers with the aim of effecting a leadership change in the Senate.
Melaye, while briefing his colleagues on the alleged plot by members of the PSG, said, ” The chairman of APC is currently meeting with some APC Senators.
“As I speak, we understand he is collecting signatures for the Senate President’s impeachment.
“We also understand that after collecting the signatures, they will be proceeding to the National Assembly to carry out their plan.
“We are waiting for them,” the lawmaker added.
National Assembly leadership meeting called off, says Deputy Speaker
The meeting of the leadership of the National Assembly scheduled for Tuesday afternoon has been called off as a result of the security situation at the legislative building.
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yussuff Lasun, told reporters that with the tense situation at the National Assembly, the meeting was no longer feasible.
“A meeting cannot be held under this kind of atmosphere.
“It is unfortunate that this is happening; because when the parliament is under siege, democracy is under siege,” Lasun stated.
Lasun arrived the National Assembly a few minutes to 12pm, the time fixed for the meeting.
Department of State Service operatives, who had locked down the National Assembly since 6 am, allowed him to drive into the complex.
But, he soon drove out again after meeting briefly with the senators and members keeping vigil at the lobby of the White House.
Lasun told reporters that he came to the National Assembly to attend the meeting as earlier fixed.
He added that though his aides already informed him about the development at the complex, he still came for the meeting, immediately realised that it was no longer feasible.
Lasun also disclosed that he had been in touch with the Senate President, Bukola Saraki; Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu; and the Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara.
When asked what would have been the agenda of the meeting, he replied that he didn’t know.
When asked when the meeting would be rescheduled to hold, Lasun said he didn’t know.
On a question on who ordered the blockade of the National Assembly, he responded, “I don’t know. You should know. You, don’t you know?”
We’re keeping vigil inside NASS lobby, lawmakers say
Senators and members of the House of Representatives who are against the lockdown of the National Assembly by DSS operatives have appealed to Nigerians to join them in saving democracy.
The lawmakers, numbering 60 senators and 120 Reps, stated that the lockdown confirmed the fears they had earlier expressed that there was a plot to force a change of the leadership of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Speaking on behalf of the lawmakers, a Peoples Democratic Party member from Kogi State, Mr. Tajudeen Yusuf, said the 60 senators and 120 Reps were keeping vigil inside the lobby of the National Assembly building.
He said, “We are inside the lobby of the White House; 60 senators and 120 members.
“We are there because we must protect democracy. An assault on the legislature is an assault on democracy.
“We call on Nigerians to rise and oppose this assault on the National Assembly. Democracy is about expressing diverse views.
“At the end, the majority will carry the day, while the minority would have had their say.”
National Assembly employees sing ‘APC, they have failed’
Employees of the National Assembly protesting the blockade of the complex by operatives of the Department of State Services have booed a member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Johnson Agbonayinma.
He is a member of the All Progressives Congress.
On sighting the lawmaker, they broke into a song, “APC, they have failed”, “APC, they have failed!”
Agbonayinma, who attempted to grant an interview to journalists, was interrupted as he struggled to speak.
He began by asking why Peoples Democratic Party members were at the National Assembly in the morning.
But, the protesting employees became enraged, accusing him of being part of the plot to cause a crisis at the National Assembly.
As Agbonayinma abandoned the interview and hurried away into the premises, the protesters followed him, shouting, “shame”, “shame”, “shame.”
We are waiting for Akpabio and his gang – Ben Bruce, Misau
Senator Ben Murray-Bruce has said he and his colleagues in the Peoples Democratic Party are at the National Assembly waiting for Senator Godswill Akpabio to invade the complex.
He said this in an interview with journalists at the main entrance of the assembly complex on Tuesday.
According to him, senators are currently waiting at the foyer because the staff of the National Assembly were not allowed by the security operatives to access the building to turn on the air conditioning.
He said, “We are here, we are waiting for (Godswill) Akpabio and his gang to come and invade. Only the Democrats are here.
“We have informed the British and American Embassies, they are waiting for the list (of the invaders) to revoke their visas.”
Speaking in a similar vein, Senator Isa Misau said, “We heard just like you that some people are coming here to impeach the leadership, we came to see how such a thing can happen at a time we are on recess. There are procedures for doing things in a democracy.”
National Assembly blockade: Clerk turns back in protest
The Clerk to the National Assembly, Mr Mohammed Sani-Omolori, has refused to enter the National Assembly complex in protest against the operatives of the Department of State Services who denied members of staff access.
Sani-Omolori, had approached the security operatives to make enquiries on why they blocked members of staff from entering their offices.
When he got no answers, he simply turned and walked back to his car.
He said, “Why are they preventing staff from entering? They should allow them to go in and do their work.
“Why are they stopping people?”
Sani-Omolori added that if his members of staff were locked out, there was no need for him to go into the premises.
Female Rep dares DSS to shoot her
A member of the House of Representatives, Boma Goodhead, has dared the operatives of the Department of State Services to shoot her as she arrived at the National Assembly.
Goodhead, who is from Rivers State, approached the operatives and shouted at them.
She shouted, “I dare you to shoot, shoot me. How can you come here and be embarrassing us?
“Was this what Jonathan did to Buhari? You are all a disgrace.”
Following her protest, she was allowed to enter the premises.
Honourable Boma Goodhead from Rivers State, confronts the masked men blocking the National Assembly. #TheWholeWorldIsWatching #SaveOurDemocracy pic.twitter.com/AnbPJyb5GE
— Oluwole (@Onemola) August 7, 2018
Story Sourced From Punchng.com
