The President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, has accused the Federal Government of plotting to frame him and Deputy Senate President, Dr Ike Ekweremadu, for Tuesday’s invasion of the National Assembly Complex by agents of the Department of State Security (DSS).
Saraki and Ekweremadu raised the alarm in a joint statement signed by their spokesmen, Yusuph Olaniyonu and Uche Anichukwu respectively and made available to newsmen on Friday.
Recall that Saraki recently defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Since his defection, the APC has allegedly launched overt and covert moves to make him leave his position.
Hooded and heavily-armed agents of the DSS invaded the complex and prevented lawmakers, mostly of PDP affiliation, from accessing the chambers.
The incident led to the sacking of Director General of DSS, Lawal Musa Daura by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, who condemned the invasion.
But Saraki said the Federal Government was plotting to implicate him and Ekweremadu for the invasion.
He said, “They want to shield the fact that the previous night before the invasion and up till the early hours of Tuesday, there was a meeting of the All Progressives Congress senators.
“And that the plan was for them to be moved in a Coaster bus into the National Assembly complex to purportedly remove us and select a new Senate President and Deputy Senate President.
“Their plot only failed because the media, particularly social media, Nigerians and international community responded very swiftly, as some legislators who came into the complex were refused entry by gun-wielding and hooded security operatives.
“Now, they want to turn the facts and blame us for their botched plot against democracy.
“We hereby reiterate our earlier position that the coup against democracy as shown by last week’s invasion must be probed through an independent judicial commission of inquiry which will produce a comprehensive report.
“We reject any manipulated and fabricated investigation.”
According to him, the Federal Government has also planned to use anti-graft and security agencies to incarcerate them and some members of their families as from next week.
This, he said, was to disorientate and cause them to vacate their seats.
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