Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has said last week’s invasion of the Senate chamber was an attack on President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
Dogara said if the National Assembly could be attacked by hoodlums, the implication is that the Supreme Court and the Presidential Villa, could also be attacked.
He stated this when he ruled on a motion by Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, who called on the House to probe the circumstances surrounding the invasion of the Senate and recommend appropriate sanctions to anyone fund culpable.
The speaker condemned comments in certain quarters linking the suspension of Senator Ovie Omo-Agege to the invasion of the Senate chamber by alleged political thugs. Dogara noted that no amount of anger should prompt any member of the legislative arm to sponsor thugs to invade the parliament.
“Nothing stops thugs from invading a court if the precedence is allowed to continue and we do not have to wait until the villa is attacked, until we take action. Any attack on the Legislature is an attack on Buhari’s government, an attack on the court institution is an attack on Buhari’s government, an attack on the executive is an attack on Buhari’s government.
“I have listened to debate on both social and conventional media, sometimes even enlightened commentators are trying draw a moral equivalence between the position of the senate to suspending a member and the act of treason perpetrated within the premises of the National Assembly.
“There is no amount of anger that should allow any member to attempt or much less procure thugs to carry out treasonous act within the premises of the National Assembly”.
Dogara said it is unfortunate that since the incident occured, the security agencies have not bothered to give an explanation to the leadership of the National Assembly.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned alleged assault on the Senate.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP said since the inception of the present administration, the leadership of the Senate and senators have been under constant harrasment.
According to the opposition party, senators who hold divergent view from the executve arm of government are arrested and detained and arraigned on trumped-up charges.
“The world has been watching with horror, since it started with the arraignment of Senate President, Bukola Saraki, his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu and other senators, on trumped-up charges as well as attempts to rope in the deputy senate president on charges related to treason.
“Today, we are witnessing the harassment and arrest of Senator Dino Melaye, who is known for his support for the Senate leadership and his criticisms of the excesses of the executive arm.
“Currently, Senators Aliyu Wamakko, Rabiu Kwakwanso and Danjuma Goje are all being harassed for holding opinions that do not suit the whims and caprices of the executive.”