By Daniel Kanu
The war of words between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which was triggered by the siege laid on the National Assembly on Wednesday by masked operatives of Department of State Services (DSS) escalated on Wednesday with name callings.
The APC which on Tuesday condemned “in strongest terms” the “unfortunate invasion of the National Assembly by security forces,” which it called an “act of brigandage and affront on the sacred symbols of our budding democracy,” made a volte-face barely 24 hours later.
On Wednesday, the ruling party alleged that the siege was a “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.”
“We are now aware that the timely intervention of the security operatives forestalled the planned violence which could have led to possible deaths, injuries and destruction of property in the National Assembly on Tuesday.”
The PDP fired back hours later accusing the Presidency and the APC of becoming confused and overburdened by guilt because of what it called the “barrage of national and international indignation against them over their failed attempt to illegally takeover the National Assembly on Tuesday.”
The PDP said “with the failure of the Presidency and the APC to sway the public with the sack of the Director General of the DSS, Lawal Daura, they have become schizophrenic in their bid to politicize the invasion, while further exposing their culpability in the sordid act.”
The statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, said:
“The APC jaundiced reasoning and penchant for deceit know no bound. Is it not schizophrenic for the APC, in its statement, a day after the invasion, to accuse Senate President Bukola Saraki of triggering security issues at the National Assembly, when the Presidency had already ‘found’ DSS Director General wanting and summarily sacked him for the invasion?
“How can the APC accuse Senate President Saraki of causing security concerns by ‘reconvening’ the National Assembly, when it is public knowledge that the National Assembly has not been reconvened despite the pressure by the factional National Chairman of the APC, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, the Special Adviser to the Presidential on National Assembly Matters, Senator Ita Enang, and Senator Ahmed Lawan on the leadership of the Senate to reconvene?
“Is it not revealing that the APC, in alleging that the Senate President ‘reconvened’ the Senate as a preemptive move to frustrate federal lawmakers’ move to impeach him, unwittingly exposed their plot to cause violence and illegally take over the Senate?”
The major opposition party said the APC by its statement vindicated its position that the plans to stampede the Senate President to reopen the National Assembly was a ploy to unleash thugs and security agencies to trigger violence, overwhelm the legislature and forcefully take over the leadership of the Senate.
“Nigerians are now clear on the fact that the invasion was carefully planned by the APC and the Presidency and that they would have succeeded but for the resistance mounted by our lawmakers, Nigerians and the media, who stood in defence of democracy.
“We invite Nigerians to note that in its attempt to politicize the invasion and provide cover for the culprits in the Presidency and the APC, the APC has ended up exposing their sinister plots and culpability.
The PDP therefore insists on an independent panel of enquiry to be headed by a retired Chief Justice of Nigeria to investigate the remote and immediate cause of the assault while all culprits, no matter how highly placed, must be made to face the wrath of the law.”
