A
abujagirl
Guest
On Thursday, we reported that Speaker of the House of representatives, Aminu Tambuwal and several other members of the National Assembly where locked outside and teargassed by security operatives.
Prominent Nigerians have reacted to the National Assembly siege.
Speaking on the situation, Sen. Adeyeye Olusola (APC-Osun) described the trend as an attack on Nigerians.
“We arrived here this morning (Thursay) to see this mess, as if there is a plan to excommunicate everybody. It beats my imagination and the imagination of other lawmakers,’’ he said.
According to him, “the action of the police this morning amounts to an attack on the constitution and our collective sensibility as lawmakers and the entire people of Nigeria’’.
On his part, Sen. Ali Ndume (PDP-Borno) said “this is an ugly trend and must be condemned by all.
“We have come here this morning to discuss important national issues only to be harassed and tear-gassed by the police’’.
Also, Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe, Chairman Senate Committee on Information, said “we are undoubtedly worried by the incident but I can assure you that effort is on to clear the mess’’.
Meanwhile, Sen. Abdullahi Adama (PDP-Nasarawa) advises the authority to stabilise the polity as soon as possible, adding that ``these different challenges we are experiencing could halt our hard earned democracy’’.
Constitutional lawyer, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), also condemned Thursday's action by the police at the National Assembly complex.
Speaking in a telephone interview with NAN in Lagos, Sagay said the action of the police on the legislators portends a great danger to Nigeria's democracy.
He said:"What transpired today at the National Assembly portends a great danger to Nigeria's democracy. For the police to have attacked the legislature, which is the second arm of government, such an attack must have been sanctioned from above.
Sagay advised security operatives to maintain neutrality at all times, adding that they had no constitutional powers to interfere with legislative processes.
Speaking similarly, Mr Onyekachi Ubani, a former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja branch, urged Nigerian leaders to focus on the current challenges being faced by the country.
"We are battling with austerity, we are battling with the state of insecurity, we are battling with low levels of infrastructures and Nigerians are really suffering.
"But in the light of all these, our leaders are only fighting themselves and looking for more political powers. It is so shameful," Ubani said.
He noted that while it was shameful to see lawmakers scaling the fence to gain entrance into the complex, those who did so were only out to prove a point.
“They were only trying to prove a point that not even the police can stop them from carrying out the responsibility entrusted to them by the Constitution," Ubani said.
Human Rights lawyers, Fred Agbaje and Kayode Ajulo also condemned action of the Police.
In his reaction, Agbaje, told NAN in a telephone interview that what the policemen did was "sacrilegious".
"The attack by the police on the National Assembly was unwarranted and is capable of truncating our democracy" Agbaje said.
Ajulo, told NAN that "police incessant dabbling into the nation's politics has got to stop".
He advised the IG to call his men to order especially now that politicking for 2015 was gathering momentum.
#Tambuwal
Prominent Nigerians have reacted to the National Assembly siege.
Speaking on the situation, Sen. Adeyeye Olusola (APC-Osun) described the trend as an attack on Nigerians.
“We arrived here this morning (Thursay) to see this mess, as if there is a plan to excommunicate everybody. It beats my imagination and the imagination of other lawmakers,’’ he said.
According to him, “the action of the police this morning amounts to an attack on the constitution and our collective sensibility as lawmakers and the entire people of Nigeria’’.
On his part, Sen. Ali Ndume (PDP-Borno) said “this is an ugly trend and must be condemned by all.
“We have come here this morning to discuss important national issues only to be harassed and tear-gassed by the police’’.
Also, Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe, Chairman Senate Committee on Information, said “we are undoubtedly worried by the incident but I can assure you that effort is on to clear the mess’’.
Meanwhile, Sen. Abdullahi Adama (PDP-Nasarawa) advises the authority to stabilise the polity as soon as possible, adding that ``these different challenges we are experiencing could halt our hard earned democracy’’.
Constitutional lawyer, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), also condemned Thursday's action by the police at the National Assembly complex.
Speaking in a telephone interview with NAN in Lagos, Sagay said the action of the police on the legislators portends a great danger to Nigeria's democracy.
He said:"What transpired today at the National Assembly portends a great danger to Nigeria's democracy. For the police to have attacked the legislature, which is the second arm of government, such an attack must have been sanctioned from above.
Sagay advised security operatives to maintain neutrality at all times, adding that they had no constitutional powers to interfere with legislative processes.
Speaking similarly, Mr Onyekachi Ubani, a former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja branch, urged Nigerian leaders to focus on the current challenges being faced by the country.
"We are battling with austerity, we are battling with the state of insecurity, we are battling with low levels of infrastructures and Nigerians are really suffering.
"But in the light of all these, our leaders are only fighting themselves and looking for more political powers. It is so shameful," Ubani said.
He noted that while it was shameful to see lawmakers scaling the fence to gain entrance into the complex, those who did so were only out to prove a point.
“They were only trying to prove a point that not even the police can stop them from carrying out the responsibility entrusted to them by the Constitution," Ubani said.
Human Rights lawyers, Fred Agbaje and Kayode Ajulo also condemned action of the Police.
In his reaction, Agbaje, told NAN in a telephone interview that what the policemen did was "sacrilegious".
"The attack by the police on the National Assembly was unwarranted and is capable of truncating our democracy" Agbaje said.
Ajulo, told NAN that "police incessant dabbling into the nation's politics has got to stop".
He advised the IG to call his men to order especially now that politicking for 2015 was gathering momentum.
#Tambuwal