ABUJA – There was apprehension on Wednesday when Lawmakers, staff and visitors to the National Assembly resumed to a complex with heavy presence of operatives of the Department of State Security Services (DSS).
Adorned mostly in suits and dark shades, the secret police agents took strategic positions around the premises, starting from the first entrance to the precinct, to the corridors of the Senate and House of Representatives Chambers.
The unusually large presence of the security operatives was followed by an apprehensive atmosphere in the facility over news of an alleged attempt by the northern caucus among Senators to impeach the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
Recall that the Leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, had during the controversy surrounding Senator Abdul Ningi, alleged of a plot to oust the President of the Senate.
His allegations, followed by the inability of Senator Ningi to provide evidence to allegations he made against the leadership of the Red Chamber, where he accused the Senate of budget padding, resulted in the suspension of Senator Ningi for over three months.
Like Ningi, Senator Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South), had also at different times escaped by the whiskers, the unyielding stick of the Senate over controversial remarks against the Chamber, credited to him in the media.
Following Wednesday’s charged atmosphere at the National Assembly, and news of the purported impeachment of principal officers of the Red Chamber, the Senate President mandated the Committee on Special Duties to investigate the alleged invasion of the Assembly complex by operatives of the DSS.
This was even as Akpabio, who said his attention was drawn to the matter while plenary was going on, denied the allegations, describing them as fake.
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He urged the committee, chaired by Senator Shehu Kaka (APC Borno Central) to urgently carry out the investigation and report back within 24 hours.
The Senate President lamented that fake news was gradually taking over the media space.
“There is no limit to what online publications cannot do. This is total fake news and the impeachment of principal officers did not arise and we are all here in the National Assembly without any controversial issues.
“I learnt that they could click an AI and news will start trending to drive traffic and I am sure the traffic for this fake news is massive by now,” Akpabio stressed.
Social media was occupied on Wednesday with the news that the DSS operatives have taken over the National Assembly amid speculations of an impeachment move against the Senate President and certain principal officers.
There were reports that some aggrieved Northern Senators, not satisfied with the performance of President Bola Tinubu, are the ones behind the alleged impeachment move.
Some social media channels first reported that DSS operatives dressed in dark-colored suits, wearing intimidating dark shades, were stationed at the main entrance to the second gate and all entrances within the National Assembly complex.
The Senate President described the story as fake, moreso when the majority of the lawmakers were in the chamber performing their legislative duties as at the time the news was flying, but however, referred the matter to the Committee on Special Duties for investigation.
