It has all the trappings of a coup, but like the two previous attempts before it, it failed. The events that unfolded on the premises of the National Assembly on July 7, 2018 did not catch close watchers of the National Assembly by surprise. Since the April attack on the Senate, where the Mace was stolen in broad daylight and the July attack by security operatives on the Senate President and his Deputy, in apparent attempts to keep them out of the chamber, reporters covering the National Assembly have learnt not to rule out any event out anymore; no matter how ludicrous it appears.
That was why reporters took seriously a message that came to their phones at 00.32 hours (12.32 am) on August 7. The message read: “Reports available at about 12.21 a.m today has it that about 30 senators are allegedly currently meeting with DG of SSS now at DSS headquarters.
“The plot is to illegally impeach SP (Senate President) and DSP (Deputy Senate President) tomorrow. Ahmed Lawan to emerge as SP and Hope Uzodinma as DSP.”
Strange as the suggestion looked, especially as reporters covering the chambers are quite familiar with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution as amended and the 2015 Senate Standing Orders, as amended, which stipulate conditions by which a senator can emerge as presiding officer or get removed, the laws also contain precise provisions on the process by which a chamber on recess can be recalled on matters of urgent National Importance. None of the provisions gave allowance to a group of lawmakers converging under the banner of any particular party to break into the chambers and conduct its affairs.
But in view of the previous strange occurences in the National Assembly, reporters decided to converge early at the main entrance of the National Assembly on August 7 and as it unfolded, the contents of that statement practically unfolded as masked security operatives took over the entrance of the Nigerian legislature, pushed aside the traditional security operatives attached to the complex and blocked the entrance with two Toyota Hilux vehicles.
Before that midnight message, reporters covering the National Assembly had been alerted to a joint meeting of the leadership of the two chambers in an attempt to resolve the apparent logjam over the 2019 electoral budget of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The announcement, which came in at 17.45pm on August 6, indicated that the leadership of the two chambers of the National Assembly would meet at about noon on August 7 and that the meeting would be followed by a meeting with the management of INEC, led by Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.
The tone of the day was set by a statement from a former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank. The early morning statement, released at 6 a.m on August 7, alerted to the sinister development at the National Assembly.
According to Frank, a meeting involving some 30 senators and leaders of the APC as well as the sacked Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) were involved in a meeting till early hours of the day in a bid to unseat the Senate President and his Deputy.
He further stated that following the red flag said to have been raised by some of the APC senators whom he said warned against the consequences of the proposed illegality, the meeting was said to have been rescheduled to reconvene by 11am (on August 7) to enable Oshiomhole to brief President Buhari in London on the progress so far.
He further stated that if the illegal plot to break into the Senate Chambers is allowed to happen, “it could lead to chaos and anarchy of unimaginable proportion in the country, capable of burying the nation’s democracy apart from the danger it portends for the lives, security and safety of Nigerians.”
His submissions were further reinforced by the senator representing Kwara South, Senator Rafiu Adebayo Ibrahim, who spoke to newsmen in the heat of the tension that enveloped the Assembly on August 7.
The senator alleged that some of the lawmakers involved in the planned coup against the chamber were being lured with the sum of $1m each to impeach Senate President Saraki and Ekweremadu. He said: “I can authoritatively tell you that those senators behind the desecration of the National Assembly collected $1m each to impeach the Senate president and his deputy. You can quote me anywhere on this.”
Senator Dino Melaye, who also spoke to newsmen in the complex said that the National Chairman of APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole was already coordinating the signature drive to ensure a change of leadership at the Senate.
“The chairman of APC is currently meeting with some APC senators. As I speak, we understand he is collecting signatures for the Senate president’s impeachment.
“We also understand that after collecting the signatures they will be proceeding to the National Assembly to carry out their plan. We are waiting for them,” he said.
At 7.00 a.m, Senator Rafiu Ibrahim, who represents Kwara South Senatorial District was prevented by men of the DSS from going to his office. He was later joined by Senators Ben Murray Bruce, Theodore Orji, Emmanuel Paulker, Hon Uzoma Abonta Boma Goodhead and TJ Yusuf, among others. At 8:00 a.m, what was considered the drama of all dramas ensued.
Hon Goodhead from Rivers State had joined the queue of lawmakers waiting to gain entry. She alongside her colleagues had watched as the masked DSS men completely took charge of the National Assembly, where the elected officials and not security men are expected to be in charge.
She got tired of the waiting and decided to act against impunity. She stood face to face with the operatives and yelled in anger: “shoot me! Shoot that gun! You guys are embarrassing us here! Go back to your office! You can shoot that gun! Shoot me! As she raised her voice, she pointed fingers directly at the leader of the operatives. The situation became tense and one of them then acted fast by asking lawmakers to present their identity cards and enter the complex. But they were neither allowed to drive in or enter with their aides. So, all senators and rep members had to trek their way into the complex and hang around the lobby since they could not access their offices.
That was the situation until 9.58 a.m when the Clerk to the National Assembly, Sani Omolori, attempted to enter the complex. He was confronted at the entrance by the hooded security men who asked for his identification. Once he identified himself, he was asked to go in but without any aide; a suggestion the Head of Assembly Bureaucracy declined. He turned his back on the complex and left.
A civil servant could do that, but not for senators and members of the House who saw themselves as part and parcel of the unfolding political game. They paced up and down the foyer of the White House of the National Assembly, chanting solidarity songs. A few of them, including Senators Bruce and Melaye, constantly uploaded some of the songs and amateur video clips to the platforms belonging to Senate Correspondents.
At the outer gate of the National Assembly, close to the Eagle Square, another round of drama were unfolding. Some Mobile Policemen had massed in some seven trucks at the garden just in front of the National Assembly while some security vehicles drove in and out at intervals.
As the ding dong continued, a list of 49 senators who are opposed to the removal of Senate President Saraki and his Deputy, Ekweremadu, surfaced. The list of 49 comprised APC and PDP Senators.
The situation was tense as 12noon approached. Many expected the convoys of the President of the Senate and that of the Speaker or the White Coaster bus expected to convey lawmakers of the APC whose assignment was to conduct a session of the Senate.
Nothing of such occurred but a bullion van marked 168 drove in through the main gate drew suspicions. Another white Coaster bus sandwiched by security vehicles which made its way through the Eagle Square also raised eyebrows. It was later discovered that the bullion van headed towards the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (GSF), while the Coaster bus conveyed INEC officials who were to attend the meeting with the leadership of National Assembly.
A joint statement by Senate President Bukola Saraki and Speaker Yakubu Dogara later in the day announced the postponement of the meeting until further notice.
From 1.30pm, however, the heavy police deployment at the first gate of the National Assembly started thinning down, as some of the mobile policemen were seen boarding their trucks and heading towards the Force Headquarters.
The announcement that followed from the Presidency, however, said it all. The coup had failed and those in the know are to suffer the consequences akin to “accessories after the fact.”
At 2:00 p.m, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo had acted against what was perceived as the height of impunity through the deployment against the National Assembly by announcing the sack of Alhaji Lawal Daura, as Director-General of the DSS. The sacked Daura was promptly placed under house arrest.
With two press statements within an hour, the Acting President changed the resort to anarchy and brigandage and condemned the illegal takeover of the National Assembly.
The statement by Osinbajo described the unauthorised takeover of the National Assembly complex as “a gross violation of constitutional order, rule of law and all accepted notions of law and order.”
He stated that the unlawful act, which he said was condemnable and completely unacceptable was done without the knowledge of the Presidency.
The statement signed by the Acting President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, read: “By this statement, Professor Osinbajo is consequently assuring Nigerians that all persons within the law enforcement apparatus who participated in this travesty will be identified and subjected to appropriate disciplinary action.”
The incident of August 7, coming on the heels of the invasion of the Senate on April 18, where the Mace, its symbol of authority was seized by hoodlums and the attack of July 24, when Saraki’s convoy was blocked a stone throw from his residence and Ekweremadu was locked inside his own house by operatives made it the third time the National Assembly under Sarai was surviving a legislative coup. This time, however, the culprits were made to answer some questions.
A cross-section of opinion moulders nationally and internationally added their voices to condemn the unhealthy development, with the United Kingdom and the European Union warning against undemocratic processes. Civil society groups, the leading opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Pan-Yoruba Socio-political Organisation, Afenifere, the Southern, Middle Belt Forum, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, and political stakeholders all condemned the development, calling for sanctions.
Saraki, who later showed up briefly at the National Assembly at about 4pm on the day, was hailed by his colleagues and supporters who were busy chanting Oloye!!! Speaker Dogara also arrived the National Assembly at 5pm to the warm embrace of his colleagues.
Saraki’s World Press Conference
As if to confirm that a coup has truly been foiled, Saraki, Dogara and a number of their colleagues converged on the Foyer of the National Assembly at noon on August 8 to address what was tagged a World Press Conference.
The Senate President in his speech demanded a thorough investigation into the invasion of National Assembly by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) on Tuesday, August 7 adding that it was surprising that the government of the day allowed the incident to happen even though it was planned for months.
He also said that he, alongside his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu and Speaker of the House of Representatives. Hon. Yakubu Dogara would be ready to leave office anytime they lose the confidence of two-thirds majority of the lawmakers.
He said: “We call for an investigation, and we demand that all perpetrators are brought to book. 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.”
He added: “This is an incident concerning which we have it on good authority that it has been in the planning for months, and yet it was allowed to happen. 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.”
According to Saraki,”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.”
He also declared that government within government was responsible for the travails of the National Assembly.
He said: “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 we are beginning to see the manifestations of that government within a government. It beats one’s imagination how the head of an agency could have authorized the brazen assault on the legislature that we saw yesterday (August 7). Despite the threat to our lives, we shall continue to fight impunity and injustice in this country.”
Unlike the previous instances of assault on the legislature, this time, the executive is barking and biting hard. Apart from sacking the Director General of the DSS, the government has also authorised a probe into the incident.
A preliminary report by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris on the incident indicated that the former DG DSS acted unilaterally when he deployed operatives to barricade the entrance of the National Assembly. The interim report suggested that Daura might have acted the script of ‘’some highly placed politicians to achieve selfish political goals, hence his unilateral and unlawful decision to invade the National Assembly.’’
The report stated that “He did not inform the Acting President, neither did he share the information with the Nigeria Police Force or other sister security agencies.’’
It added: ‘’So many distinguished senators, Honourable members and staff of the National Assembly, who wanted access to the National Assembly complex, suffered humiliation, intimidation and were forcefully chased out of the Assembly complex at gunpoint by operatives of the State Security Service wearing hoods and masks.’’
The report dated August 8, 2018 and which was addressed to the Acting President accused the former DGSS Lawal Daura of taking unilateral decision to block the entrance of the National Assembly. The preliminary report also indicated that the DSS did not share information with any of other security agency.
“The police claimed, they are, therefore, seeking the approval for the release of all DSS operatives who partook in the crime for further interrogation.
Now that a top member of the acclaimed inner caucus of the Buhari administration has been made to bite the dust over observed impunity in government, it is expected that the executive could be on its way to normalising its relationship with the other arms of government.
and then