Buhari’s Vacation: Ploy To Inflict Impunity On NASS, Impeach Saraki, Ekweremadu
BY AMOS DUNIA, ABUJA – The Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) on Thursday said it has uncovered plots by the Presidency and some Senators of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to forcefully reconvene the Senate with protection from security agencies to impeach Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki and Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu.
The opposition Party also alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari’s 10 days working vacation in London was designed as an alibi to exonerate him from the planned political illegalities, forceful invasion and mayhem about to be visited on the polity, particularly the National Assembly.
It said the plot was perfected at a meeting, on Wednesday night, between the Presidency and some APC senators that are now in the minority, stressing that the desperation to illegally take control of the National Assembly is part of the design to undermine the nation’s democratic institutions and completely foist a dictatorial regime on Nigeria.
These were contained in a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, who also said that the planned invasion is also a bid to cover the atrocious and humongous corruption of the Buhari administration, which the National Assembly is set to expose.
According to Ologbondiyan; “The PDP has been reliably informed about how these APC senators, especially members of the Buhari Parliamentary Support Group (BPSG), have been provided with huge sums of money, illegally lifted from repatriated funds, to carry out this nefarious act under the guise of urgent need to approve funds for the 2019 general elections.
“It is clear that President Buhari and the APC are hugely terrified and distressed by the gale of defections from their fold and have resorted to underhand methods, threats and intimidation, irrespective of the damage being inflicting on the polity.
“Having been demeaned by the widespread condemnation of the recent siege on the residences of the Senate President and Deputy Senate President, in addition to the invasion of the Benue State House of Assembly in a failed attempt to impeach Governor Samuel Ortom and forcefully take over the state, President Buhari is now jetting out of the country so as to appear innocent and oblivious of the political terrors about to be unleashed on the National Assembly”.
The PDP noted that President Buhari in 2014, applauded the defection of PDP members, including then leaders of the National Assembly, into his APC, describing the movement, then, as “good for democracy”.
“Today, his administration is hounding and harassing citizens for daring to defect from his failed party. Besides, Nigerians will recall that the PDP had earlier alerted of plots by President Buhari to enmesh the 2019 general election in controversy by asking for virement of funds already approved in the 2018 budget for development projects instead of sending a fresh supplementary budget for the election.
“If the Presidency means well for Nigeria, it should have sent a supplementary budget and duly write the leadership of the National Assembly instead of plotting to forcefully take over the federal legislature and push our nation into serious constitutional crisis,” Ologbondiyan said.
The PDP therefore said President Buhari must be held responsible for any abuse of power, disregard for rule of law and assault on democractic institutions, even in his absence from the country.
The opposition Party reminded Buhari and the APC that the PDP is now in incontrovertible majority in the Senate and are ready and able to protect this democracy with all instruments available in the constitution and parliamentary rule books.
