The political drama unfurling in Abuja with the blocking of the National Assembly gate by men of the Department of State Services (DSS) took a dramatic turn with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) forcing their way in.
One Senator, Isah No say, was said to have created so much scene that Senators were allegedly locked out were allowed in.
It was earlier believed that scores of All Progressives Congress (APC) Senators, plotting the removal of Senate President Bukola Saraki, were smuggled in through the back gate, also known as Executive entrance.
However, journalists and hundreds of National Assembly staff remained locked out.
Already, there were indications that the Senate Minority Leader, former Akwa Ibom Governor, Senator Godswill Akpabio has thrown in his letter of resignation. His defection from the PDP has engaged a section of the public space.
Meanwhile, former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, has alleged that the National Chairman of a political party, a top security chief and 30 APC Senators – led by a Senate Leader 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 a party chief who is currently pressurising President Muhammadu Buhari to accept his proposal of using “crude tactics” to topple Saraki and his Deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu.
He said according reliable information emanating from the meeting, that tone of the National Vice Chairmen of the APC joined the party chief 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 the party chief 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 warned 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 the party boss to call allegedly Mr. President in London at 9a.m. this morning to brief him on the progress made so far.
It was further learnt that the candidature of both Senators Lawan and George Akume to the Presidency to make his choice.
He alleged that an added figure above $400,000 is already being offered to lure individual lawmakers to support the plot to illegally impeach Saraki. 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.
