Tinubu, Oshiomhole Fingered In NASS Invasion By DSS

The acclaimed National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ahmed Bola Tinubu, and Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the National Chairman of the APC, have both been fingered in Tuesday’s invasion of the National Assembly by masked operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).

Some masked DSS operatives had in the early morning of yesterday besieged the National Assembly complex, preventing some of its staffers including lawmakers from gaining access to the premises.

The situation, which led to the dismissal of the Director-General of the DSS, Mallam Lawal Daura by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, had sparked outrage and criticism of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.

While an accusing finger has been pointed at the Presidency and even the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, for the siege, two northern groups, Northern Emancipation Network (NEN) and the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) have accused Tinubu and Oshiomhole of spearheading the NASS invasion.

Speaking in different statements signed by their presidents, the nothern groups are calling for the probe of the APC chieftains over the matter.

The groups equally named other likely co-conspirators who should be punished if found culpable of the siege as Senators Ahmed Lawal, Abu Ibrahim, Shehu Sani and Abdullahi Adamu, all of the ruling APC.

NEN said in the statement signed by its President, Abdulazeez Suleiman: “While welcoming the prompt action by the Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, we at the Northern Emancipation Network believed that Lawal Daura couldn’t have acted alone in such monumental national disgrace.

“To avoid making Daura a scapegoat in a lethal power play that is already putting the image of Nigeria to question in the eyes of the international community, other conspirators should also be booked.

“It should be recalled that Senator Abu Ibrahim had insisted openly that there would never be peace unless the subsisting leadership of the National Assembly is changed.

“In sane climes, such inflammatory unguarded utterances are not condoned, especially when they are followed by action.

“We commend the Nigerian public especially the press and the civil society for rising up promptly and standing firm to save the nation’s democracy.

“We call on the international community to intensify viligance on Nigeria as the 2019 round of fresh elections draws near,” said NEN.

On its part, the AYCF in a statement signed by its President, Shettima Yerima, said: “Our close look at the unfolding siege on the National Assembly in a desperate bid to launch a coup against a democratically-elected Senate President Bukola Saraki was a smear on decorum, antithetical to democracy and its institutions. This clear case of treasonable felony against our collective conscience is condemnable in the strongest of words. It has once again ridiculed our image as a democratic and independent nation.

“We suspect enemies of democracy behind the desperate bid to use force in grabbing power out of the hand of the Senate President.

“We commend acting President Yemi Osinbajo’s prompt response to the brigandage of the Lawal Daura’s gestapo style of truncating democracy.

“We call for stiff sanctions by way of arrests of other collaborators in this national ridicule, notably Abba Kyari Senator Abu Ibrahim, senators Adamu Abdullahi, Godswill Akpabio, Ahmed Lawan, Adams Oshiomhole and Abba Kyari, in order to send the right signals that the long arm of law is set to catch up with the lawbreakers in our midst.

“We call for the immediate setting up of a special panel of Inques to deal with this brazen impunity. Meanwhile, we still look forward to series of arrests of other principal suspects in this uncivilised militarisation and impunity against the Senate President and the institution of the National Assembly, whether within or outside the corridors of power.

“We make bold to say that any action short of arresting the political desperados behind this uncivilised, disgraceful incident at the National Assembly and against the Number Three most-respected office in the land, should be resisted by our compatriots

“We urge the acting President to stick to his guns regarding efforts to ensure compliance with constitutional provisions and dealing ruthlessly with abuse of office by any government official, no matter how highly-placed”.