‘JONATHAN MUST GO’- Reps
insist, as 130 Lawmakers
signed impeachment
notice
Lawmakers removed their shoes
and climbed the iron fence to
make their way inside the
chamber. Teargas fumes choked
the environment, drawing tears
from the lawmakers’ eyes. Many
were shouting and screaming.
Chaos.
The Senate
That was the scene yesterday at
the National Assembly complex in
Abuja where the police and other
security agents battled
unsuccessfully to stop House of
Representatives Speaker Aminu
Tambuwal from entering the
chamber.
In anger, the lawmakers
launched an impeachment battle
against President Goodluck
Jonathan.
By evening, no fewer than 130 of
them —there are 360 members
in the House— had signed a
register to back the Jonathan-
must-go move.
Policemen allegedly acting on the
instructions of the Secretary to
the Government of the
Federation (SGF), Anyim Pius
Anyim, and the National Security
Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki,
locked the gates to the National
Assembly (NASS). There were no
comments from Anyim and Col.
Dasuki yesterday.
Efforts by the Speaker to enter
the complex was resisted by
security forces, mainly the police,
led by Acting Police
Commissioner Wilson Inalegwu.
The policemen were in combat
gears, fully armed. With them
were hooded Department of
State Service (DSS) personnel.
Signs of a chaotic day came as
early as 7.00am when early
callers were confronted by a new
set of armed security personnel.
No vehicle was spared from
being checked as drivers were
made to alight from their cars to
open their booths. Cars with
tainted screens were asked to
wind down the windows to
ascertain the identity of the
occupiers of the back seat.
Construction trucks were not
spared as policemen climbed
inside the drivers’ cabins to
check any for any hidden
unapproved objects or persons.
A Supreme Court Judge who
used the road to access the
Supreme Court complex could
not hide his anger when he
retorted after his driver was
asked to wind down the
passenger side’s windscreen.
“Why are you people disturbing
everybody, aren’t you aware that
people have work to go to? I am
going to Supreme Court,” he
shouted angrily at the police
officer.
The policeman replied: “Sorry for
the inconvenience sir. The NSA is
aware of why we are here.”
At about 10.35am, Aminu
Tambuwal arrived at the first
entrance to the NASS in his
official vehicle, with the House of
Repesenatives’ crest and the Coat
of Arms accompanied by a
convoy of about 50 cars.
The security men at the first gate
made no attempt to stop him.
At the second and final gate, the
convoy was stopped for
checking.
After passing the second gate,
the Speaker’s car could not pass
the final gate as it was firmly
locked. His convoy could not even
go through the second gate.
The Speaker alighted from his car
to talk to the police officers on
the other side of the gate.
The Speaker called out to their
leader, the FCT Acting CP,
Inalegwu, who said he was on
the telephone.
Likewise, none of the policemen,
mostly of junior ranks,
responded to his introduction as
the Speaker of the House.
At a point, some of the
lawmakers who accompanied
the Speaker, began banging on
the gate, pulling it and
threatening to force their ways
in.
The Speaker stepped away to
make some calls.
The pulling of the gate continued
but the security men did not
bulge, saying they had an order
from the office of the National
Security Adviser (NSA) to lock the
gate.
At this point, caution took over
as some lawmakers continued to
talk with the policemen and by a
stroke of luck, the gate was
partially opened on the order of
the FCT Acting CP.
The Speaker and some
lawmakers were pushed in
before the gate was shut again.
The lawmakers began to scale
the tall gate. One after the other,
they scalde the gate, saying
nothing will stop them from
performing their duty.
On arriving at the scene, just
minutes after the Speaker had
gone in, the Minority Leader,
Femi Gbajabiamila, joined his
compatriots in scaling the gate.
The oldest member of the House,
Hasan El Badawi, made for the 10
feet tall gate, climbed it and
jumped into the complex – to the
admiration of his colleagues and
others.
Other lawmakers who
accompanied the Speaker include
Deputy Minority Leader, Suleiman
Kawu, Solomon Adeola,
Mohammed Zakari, Samuel
Adejare and Biodun Akinlade,
among many others.
The security men made no
attempt to stop the lawmakers
until they got to the entrance of
the Parliament building (White
House).
Meanwhile, lawmakers within the
National Assembly had received
phone calls that the Speaker was
prevented from entering the
complex.
In anger, scores of lawmakers
raced out of the White House in
the direction of the main gate.
But they met the Speaker at the
arcade being led in by other
lawmakers.
That was when the police started
targeting him with shots of tear
gas.
Before Tambuwal was muscled
into the chamber by his
colleagues, teargas canisters
were shot at him three times at
the entrance of the White House
and twice inside the lobby.
His colleagues rushed him into
the Chamber and locked the
door.
For hours, the lobby was filled
with teargas fumes. Lawmakers
and others were coughing and
clutching their noses with
handkerchiefs. The fumes
permeated offices and
committee rooms in the White
House.
Senate President David Mark also
got a dose of the security
meltdown as he was locked out
for over 30 minutes. He entered
the complex through the back
gate.
An angry Mark flayed the
Divisional Police Officer in the
National Assembly, who on
allegedly said the SGF gave the
order for the lockdown of the
legislature.
However, on gaining access,
Mark got a raw deal when he
made to see the Speaker on the
Representatives’ wing.
He was ruffled up by the crowd
milling around the Speaker. He
was pushed and shoved by the
crowd who claimed that he had
foreknowledge of the attack on
the Speaker but die nothing to
stop it.
After conferring with the
Speaker, Mark returned to his
office. He was seen off by Deputy
Speaker Emeka Ihedioha.
Afterwards, the House went into
plenary to consider the only item
on the order paper the
President’s request for extension
of emergency rule in Adamawa,
Borno and Yobe States.
The matter was debated behind
closed doors.
On emerging from the plenary,
the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker
and a host of other
Representatives made for the
office of the Senate President.
The Senate President’s office, the
Speaker and his team were
denied entrance and, after a
while, a warning boomed from
the public address system, asking
those around the entrance to
return to their offices.
The Deputy Speaker left, leaving
the Speaker. After a while, the
Speaker left. to be joined at the
Senate car park by Ihedioha and
over a hundred other members.
The crowd swelled by the
moment and the Speaker left in a
motorcade of over 70 cars, with
the convoy lined on the side by
lawmakers, well-wishers and
staff of the National Assembly.
The Speaker drove out of the
complex at about 1.17pm.
The House condemned the action
of the police but promised that it
will defend its territory (the
National Assembly complex) with
all its might.
Spokesman Zakari Mohammed
told journalists at the end of the
special plenary that the action of
the police was capable of
undermining the country’s
democracy.
He said: “We are not criminals,
we were sent here by Nigerians
that elected us. How can the
President give an assignment to
the Speaker and at the same time
lock him out and tear gassed?
“Though we see this drama as
one of the hazards of democracy,
but we have sworn to defend the
constitution and our democracy.
“We refused to be cowered. The
National Assembly is not a State
Assembly where all kinds of
illegalities are perpetrated and
there won’t be any response.
“We condemn the police action
in all its entirely, we cannot turn
this country into a banana
republic; what is important to us
is we must continue to uphold
the constitution and continue to
do what is constitutionally right.
“The National Assembly is our
territory and we will defend it
and resist all attempt to stop,us
from doing our work.”
Source: THENATION
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