NASS siege: Failed coup against democracy – Saraki, Dogara

The Senate President, Bukola Saraki and the Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, in a joint statement described the siege on the NASS complex by men of the Department of State Security Service as assault on democracy and an act of cowardice by anti-democrats seeking to carry out illegal impeachment of the leadership of the Senate.
PATRICK ANDREW brings major highlights.
The Siege The National Assembly, the seat of democracy in Nigeria, was under lockdown.
Senators and Members of the House of Representatives were prevented from gaining access.
In no circumstances should this have happened.
And we as a nation reaped the bitter fruits instantaneously, as evident in media images relayed around the world, images that shame us as a democratic nation.
The siege was also an act of cowardice by those seeking to carry out an illegal impeachment of the leadership of the Senate in flagrant disregard of the law.
People who seek control at all costs, by whatever means, never minding the injury to democratic norms.
This is most disheartening.
We don’t get any joy in saying: We said so.
We don’t.
However, some of you may recall that about two years ago, I stated that there was a government within this government, to a purpose that was not in the interest of what the people voted for.
I said it then, and now, almost on a daily basis, we are seeing the manifestations of that government within a government.
It beats one’s imagination how the head of a security agency could have authorized the brazen assault on the legislature that we saw yesterday.
Only recently we saw in Benue how 8 members of the 30 members of State House of Assembly with the collaboration of security forces, DSS and police tried to impeach the Governor.
Despite the threat to our lives, we shall continue to fight impunity and injustice in this country.
Happily, by the actions that Nigerians took yesterday, they demonstrated our strong resolve as a nation not to give ground to oppression.
The legislature, more than any other institution in this country, more than any other arm of government, represents the will of the people.
We are elected by the people, and an assault on the legislature is an assault on the people of Nigeria.
The forcible shutdown of the legislature was an unconscionable assault on a national institution, and thanks to all your efforts, the aggressors have been put to shame.
Brave democrats impunity demonstrated by everyone against unwarranted and unconstitutional militaristic might, the siege could not stand.
By this, we have shown that Nigerians can resist government within government in whatever guise, and this is humbling for us.
Those who sought to defend the attack on the National Assembly under our leadership for their selfish ends have further affirmed our belief in this country.
They attempted to execute an illegal impeachment of the leadership of the Senate without the backing of the law, but they faltered.
We are confident that, together, we shall always defeat acts of unconstitutionality.
The rule of law shall always prevail.
We applaud all who kicked against the atrocity and who stood firm until sanity prevailed.
We are proud of how everyone conducted themselves in what was no doubt a tense standoff.
The principled stance and defiant reactions to the ugly incident, proved crucial to the failure of the plot.
This is what we have been saying about the power of the people.
The role of the people in defending democracy is paramount.
Osinbajo’s swift decision We thank the Acting President, Prof.
Yemi Osinbajo, for his handling of the situation we were all confronted with yesterday.
His decisive action went a long way towards restoring confidence and the image of our country.
It sent a powerful message – that the DSS cannot be recklessly deployed against institutions of our democracy.
The path of leadership is not by party, and we must commend it wherever it is found.
Mr. Acting President did the right thing.
However, the damage control so far does not address the question of how this invasion was allowed to happen in the first place.
This is an incident concerning which we have it on good authority that it has been in the planning for months.
How is it that such an atrocity was not prevented? How is it that the masterminds were not deterred? Very serious questions remain that can only be answered by a full investigation.
We call for an investigation, and we demand that all perpetrators are brought to book.
Assault must be investigated We owe it to ourselves to ensure that such a situation never occurs again.
Many agencies have abused their powers and acted outside the ambit of the law on occasion.
Where abuses occur, similar actions must be taken immediately and full investigation instituted.
We must say that when we fought for Change, we could not have envisaged a scenario such as unfolded yesterday – an atmosphere where people cannot tolerate dissent, or mere differences of opinion as to the future of our dear country.
This is not the Change we fought for.
We did not fight for instruments of state to be used to oppress Nigerians and their lawmakers.
We know that we, certainly, did not fight just so the legislature could be undermined and subjected to this onslaught.
There are many lessons to be drawn from the ugly incident we all witnessed yesterday.
For one, government must ensure that security agencies remain neutral and act in line with the position of the constitution as well as their enabling laws.
Heads of Agencies should be accountable, and those who step out of line must be held responsible for their actions.
Enough with impunity.
Enough with the reckless and senseless deployment of militaristic force.
Enough.
In this dark cloud, we can see the silver lining, and that silver lining is the commitment of Nigerians to defending their hard-won democracy.
We are more than encouraged by the strength, the determination and the resolve of ordinary Nigerians to see to it that democracy survives and thrives in this country.
We are also strengthened by the determination of the media to report and analyse the truth as they see it.
NASS committed to democracy We want to reassure Nigerians that, on our part, we remain committed to working for a country governed by the rule of law.
Our desire is to have a society where there will be equity and justice, not oppression.
We stand committed to doing our utmost as lawmakers to ensure that the responsibility and functionality of governance are met.
Although we are on annual break, we are daily reviewing the situation and are alive to the responsibility to take action as necessary.
Unfortunately, yesterday’s shutdown prevented us from meeting with INEC, as scheduled, to address their request.
We will continue to do all to ensure a smooth and successful 2019 election.
In the spirit of that we also appeal to Mr.
President to sign the new 2018 Electoral Act Amendment Bill in line with his recommendations, which has been sent for his assent.
We remain confident in the support of my colleagues and their focus on the job at hand, which is to serve the Nigerian people.
My confidence is unshaken.
We remain committed to the success of the historic 8th National Assembly, and to the continued progress of our country.
In closing, let me reiterate that neither myself, Deputy Senate President or Speaker belong to the class of politicians that are desperate to stay in power by al means and at all costs.
The day, two thirds of our members feel they do not have confidence in our leadership, we will gracefully bow out.
I repeat again and again, this is not about us, but about respecting the constitution and the rule of law.