The intrigues over the emergence of principal officers of the National Assembly are not over as a group of pro-democracy and political rights activists, the Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA), on Friday raised the alarm over a plot to malign the President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki and his Deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu.
The National Coordinator of HURIWA, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, who addressed journalists in Abuja, said the plans were hatched on 29th June 2015 in Abuja.
According to HURIWA, “We have it on good authority that finishing touches were put on the plan at the Abuja home of a high profile APC leader where two Senators from Yobe and Jigawa States were present.
“Seeing no legal means to kick the Senate leadership out, the plan now includes forgery of all manners of documents, manipulated audio and audio-visual materials, and the importation of a professional female blackmailer from the USA, etc. to coerce the Senate helmsmen to submission”.
“HURIWA denounces in the strongest terms the emerging erosion of the independence of the National Assembly, and worst of all, the resort to cheap blackmail.
“We therefore call on Nigerians to be on the lookout for the political cum media terrorism as it unfolds, but regard them for what they are- a cheap blackmail”, he added.
It said that the least Nigerians expected of the APC leadership was to call the rise to the occasion of rallying its erring members to cooperate with the National Assembly leadership to deliver to Nigerians the change, which the party promised.
It added: “It is also appropriate to remind the APC leadership that it rode to power on the wings of free democratic environment and the sanctity of the ballot box.
“If the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former President Goodluck Jonathan could congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC as well as hand government to them without any hesitation whatsoever, we see no good reason some elements in the APC have refused to accept the leadership, which majority of members of the National Assembly have freely chosen for themselves in accordance with the 1999 Constitution”.
HURIWA further stated that “If APC lawmakers emerged Speakers of the Benue and Plateau States Houses of Assembly where the PDP are in the majority; HURIWA sees no reason a Deputy Senate President of PDP extraction transparently and constitutionally elected by members of both parties cannot be acceptable to a section of the APC leadership.
“The emerging scenario is to say the least, most disappointing, unhealthy for democracy, and a betrayal of the mandate for change handed to the APC at the 2015 general elections”.
While commending President Muhammadu Buhari on his fence-mending efforts, HURIWA stressed the need to immediately restore sanity to the National Assembly and protect the independence and stability of the legislature.
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