Thugs Invasion Of The Red Chambers – The Inside Story

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

Facts are emerging on the details of the events that culminated to the invasion of the Red Chambers of the National Assembly on Wednesday and the carting away of the symbol of authority by suspected thugs.

P.M.EXPRESS scooped that the build up to the invasion may have been caused by a self inflicted action by the Senate few days before the incident happened on Wednesday.

Sources who followed the trend told P.M.EXPRESS that the action was possible as a result of the division in the Red Chambers following the recent decision by the Senate to reorder the sequence of the 2019 elections in the recent bill they had passed which was rejected by the President Buhari.

It was gathered that some senators loyal to President Buhari were not happy with the decision which they suspected was targeted at the President. The Senators who were in support of President Buhari had protested openly in the Chambers, championed by Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and others who raised the issue on the floor of the senate during plenary.

However, senators who were said to be in support of the Senate President viewed their protest as insubordination to the leadership of the Senate and a committee was constituted which indicted Senator Omo-Agege. The senate eventually adopted the report of the committee and Omo-Agege was suspended for 90 Days.

Sources from the Red Chambers said that while the Senators were still licking their wounds over the suspension of Omo-Agege, their leaders went further to move a motion mandating the Executive arm to sack all the service chiefs and other security chiefs for their failure to stop killings across the country.

It was gathered that the security chiefs were said not to be happy with the resolution which seemed to indict them for not doing anything on the violent clashes going on in some areas. A security source said that they cannot be making such resolutions and yet expect the security chiefs to provide adequate security within and outside the chambers.

It was in the midst of the knocks to both the security chiefs and senators loyal to the President that Senator Ovie Omo-Agege reportedly sort for legal advice on his suspension. Barrister Femi Falana, SAN, posited that the suspension of Senator Omo-Agege and others who had suffered such fate in the past was illegal as the courts had affirmed that in the past.

It was in line with Falana’s position that his fellow senators urged him to disregard the suspension and attend the plenary promising to support him when the issue comes in the senate.

However, it was not certain if Senator Ovie Omo-Agege actually brought the thugs that took away the mace but it was seen in the camera that those who carried the mace followed him from behind before they rushed to the mace and took it away.

Many were still baffled how the thugs managed to beat all the security points from the entrance gate to the chambers and took away the mace. Some of the senators who were against the act said that the security of the Senate must have been compromised to give room to allow Senator Ovie Omo-Agege who was already suspended to attend the session and for the thugs to enter the chambers.
Some believed that the security at the Senate must have acted based on order from above which has not been identified.

However, the Federal Government has set up a panel to investigate the invasion and promised to strengthen the security in the two chambers to forestall such occurring in future.

So far, Senator Omo-Agege was arrested by the police after the incident but he denied being the one that brought the thugs that took away the mace and he was released.

It still remained a puzzle what really transpired that led to the invasion by those behind the act despite the security put in place at the two chambers.

However, after their executive session yesterday the senate may have stepped down the purported election re-ordering bill that seemed to have caused rift between the Senate and the Executive.