Presidential adviser Ojudu says the whole saga was just a publicity stunt to gain public sympathy

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari's special adviser on political matters Senator Babafemi Ojudu has dismissed claims that the presidency is plotting to impeach senate president Senator Bukola Saraki pointing out that yesterday's drama was a cheap publicity stunt.

Yesterday morning, Nigerians woke up to the drama of masked Department of State Security (DSS) men sealing off the National Assembly premises, preventing legislators and their aides from going to their offices. While this was ongoing, it is believed that senators loyal to President Buhari were converging in Sheraton Hotel as the plot to impeach Senator Saraki and his deputy Senator Ike Ekweremadu.

Irate senators and members of the House of Representatives who confronted the security men, condemned what they described as a major assault on democracy. They accused the presidency of using force of arms to prevent them going about their lawful business and after the crescendo grew too loud, acting president Professor Yemi Osinbajo acted swiftly by dismissing the director of the DSS Lawan Daura.

Dismissing claims that the presidency was behind the plot, seeking to overthrow the leadership of the National Assembly, Senator Ojudu said lawmakers who converged there yesterday were attempting to elicit public sympathy. He added that the lawmakers were concerned about the budget and next year’s elections and not the alleged impeachment of Senator Saraki.

Senator Ojudu said: “It was the height of it for the DSS to barricade the complex while some lawmakers were in there, holding a meeting and even drinking whiskey. There were photos of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers, about 30 of them, a mixture of senators and reps, where they sat down at the lobby, drinking whiskey.

“I was asked to go and find out what was happening at the National Assembly. I got there at about 11am and I found about 25 or 30 lawmakers of the PDP sitting down at the lobby and I didn’t see anything."

He pointed out that he spoke to some of the senators yesterday on what the meeting was about and they were concerned and worried about the president’s budget. Senator Ojudu said they were concerned and were asking what do we do?

Meanwhile, Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, has described Professor Osinbajo's actions in sacking Mr Daura as unimpressive, adding that he could not have taken the decision without instructions from above. Afenifere publicity secretary, Yinka Odumakin, said Mr Daura must have gotten the directive from the presidency before taking action against the lawmakers.

Mr Odumakin said: “The only difference between the democratic and military governments is the parliament. For the DSS to wake up in the morning to go and seal off the National Assembly suggests that there is a trouble in Nigerian democracy.

“We are yet to understand the meaning of the sacking of Lawal Daura by the acting president. Does it mean that the DSS could go and seal the National Assembly without the instruction from the acting president or Mr President himself?"

Professor Osinbajo sacked Mr Daura and asked him to hand over to Matthew Seiyefa, the most senior director in the (DSS), who will act as director-general until further notice. Following his sacking, Mr Daura was also detained and questioned by the police for his role in the whole saga.

“The sacking is not impressive at all. Is Daura the commander-in-chief of his own that can just act without an instruction from above ?

“It is either he took the instructions from the acting president or the president in London as those are the two people that can instruct him to go and seal up the National Assembly. This is an indication that our democracy is under threat and Nigerians should now know that this ruling government constitutes a danger to the democratic rule in Nigeria," Mr Odumakin added.