Anti-Buhari coalition alleges plot to attack National Assembly leaders

The Coalition of United Political Parties said it had uncovered a plot by the All Progressives Congress- led Federal Government to attack the leadership of the National Assembly next week .

The coalition added that this would be done through the filing of a suit and securing an ex parte application directing that one third of the Senators /House members could demand to open either of the chambers of the National Assembly .
The spokesman for the CUPP , Mr Ikenga Ugochiyere , said in a statement on Tuesday that the plot would include the invitation of the leadership of both chambers for questioning by the police .

He said once they showed up , the police would detain them while the order of the court would be carried out.
He said , “ They ( NASS leadership ) will be detained with a black market injunction from a magistrate court , thereby paving the way for unlawful and violent change of the leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives .

“ Some of the security agencies will provide security cover for the coup plotters , while a section of the media has been co-opted to churn out news and justification for the evil plots.

“ This desperation by the APC and presidency can only be likened to the last kicks of a dying horse which usually gives it the hope that it will salvage its head which is already off.
“ The ship of the APC is fast sinking and is obviously beyond redemption . Nigerians are daily convinced that the APC was a mistake made in 2015 and have decided that the mistake will be corrected in 2019 . ”
He added that it was worrisome that the APC , which he said was entrusted by Nigerians with providing leadership , growth and development for the country, could resort to compromising the judiciary , legislature , police , Department of State Services , the media and other institutions of democracy.

He called on Nigerians and lovers of democracy to be on the alert for the alleged plot , while also calling on the presidency and the APC not to destroy Nigeria ’ s democracy.
He also appealed to the international community to place key members of the Federal Government on its watch list and ensure they had no hiding place anywhere in the world should anything happen to democracy in Nigeria .
We are ready for anything – Pro -Saraki senators

However, Senator Rafiu Ibrahim ( PDP, Kwara -South ) , who speaks for Bukola Saraki ’ s camp in the Senate , said lawmakers in the group were ready to resist those after the National Assembly leadership .
Ibrahim stated that the planned moves by the forces against Saraki and Speaker Yakubu Dogara , as alleged by the CUPP were unconstitutional .
He said , “ We are waiting for the judge that will give that judgment against the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria . We are waiting .”

The lawmaker also dismissed the alleged plan to use the police against the National Assembly leadership .
“ I hope you know the section of the constitution that gave us the power to regulate ourselves. Their party is in total disarray because of tickets .”
When contacted , Saraki ’ s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Yusuph Olaniyonu , said he was not aware of the alleged plot against the Senate President and the Speaker .

He referred our correspondent to the spokesman for the Senate .
However, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs , Senator Aliyu Sabi -Abdullahi, could not be reached as calls made to his mobile phone rang out .

CUPP acting PDP’ s script to prevent end to minority rule – APC
But the APC dismissed the CUPP ’s allegations , describing them as part of last ditch efforts to frustrate the APC ’ s moves to end minority rule in the National Assembly .
The National Publicity Secretary of the APC , Yekini Nabena , said this in a statement on Tuesday .
Nabena said the allegations by “ a so -called Coalition of United Political Parties ” in which it said that the APC -led administration had plan to “ attack the National Assembly leadership and abuse court processes ” were lies aimed at preventing the National Assembly from reconvening to end minority rule .

The APC statement read in part , “… Such crude practices are the rejected templates of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) , which the so-called coalition represents, and definitely alien to the APC -led administration .
“ Again , we consider these new rounds of falsehood by the sponsored coalition as a last - ditch attempt by the outgoing and minority National Assembly leadership of the Senate President , Dr Bukola Saraki ; his Deputy , Ike Ekweremadu and Speaker , House of Representatives , Yakubu Dogara to prevent the reconvening of the National Assembly and continue a minority -rule in an APC- dominated federal legislature .
“ We are in a democracy and are governed by laws . A few cannot hold the legislative arm of government to ransom through their selfish political games. The National Assembly must be reconvened to attend to crucial and pending legislative business . The majority must be allowed to lead . ”

Ahmed’ s revelation shows Buhari ’ s incompetence – PDP
Meanwhile , the PDP says the declaration by the supervising Minister of Finance, Mrs Zainab Ahmed , that Nigeria was facing revenue challenges had vindicated its stance that President Muhammadu Buhari lacked the capacity and competence to run a productive economy .
The party also blamed the revenue challenge on alleged humongous corruption in the Buhari Presidency , which it said provided official cover for leaders of the All Progressives Congress and cronies of the President to divert and “ pocket over N 10 trn of the nation ’ s national revenue in the last three years .
The National Publicity Secretary of the party , Mr Kola Ologbondiyan , who said this in a statement on Tuesday , added that had President Buhari heeded wise counsel from Nigerians to hands off economic issues , end the corruption in his Presidency and get a strong economic team to manage the economy , foreign direct investments and domestic productivity would not have crumpled .
He said , “ Nigerians can recall how the PDP nurtured and bequeathed a very robust economy , with thriving domestic and international revenue openings in key sectors of the economy ; and how President Buhari , in three years , remarketed our economy through his utterances , harsh economic policies and failure to develop and drive a clear -cut economic blueprint for the nation .
“ Nigerians expect Ahmed to show patriotism and courage by exposing the corruption in the financial sector under Buhari , set in motion machinery to recover the over N 10 trn looted by the Presidency cabal and channel the fund back into the economy .
“ Our worry , however, is that nothing much will come out from the supervising minister as those who saw to her appointment are members of the same Presidency cabal that used the disgraced erstwhile finance minister , Kemi Adeosun , as clearing house to fritter away our national resources.
“ Moreover , Nigerians are already apprehensive that the supervising minister might become ethically challenged like Adeosun , following allegations of forgery against her in the social media where the public is already raising queries of alleged incongruities between her claimed date of birth and dates of educational qualifications . ”
He said the PDP wondered why Buhari ’s key appointees are allegedly persons of questionable characters , saying such had cast a shadow on the integrity of the Buhari administration .

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