Ahead of the inauguration of the 10th Senate, the senator-elect for Kano South senatorial district, Kawu Sumaila, says there are plans to block lawmakers-elect opposed to the Senate Presidency’s ambition of Godswill Akpabio from gaining access to National Assembly on Tuesday.
Sumaila, who was elected on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, fingered President Bola Tinubu’s allies as masterminds of the plot.
PlatinumPost reports that Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress had reportedly anointed Akpabio as the next Senate President while Jibrin Barau was endorsed as his deputy.
But speaking in an interview with Daily Trust, Sumaila who is backing former Zamfara governor, Abdulaziz Yari, for the Senate Presidency seat, said preventing some lawmakers-elect from accessing the NASS chambers would send a negative signal, calling on Tinubu to prevent on his men that are bent on forcing leadership on the Senate.
He said : What I will say is that some people are using his (Tinubu) name to cause confusion, which will be dangerous to our democracy. They intend to use undemocratic means for their selfish interests, which will be resisted, even by our constituencies. We heard that they are planning to arrest, detain, block and do everything possible on that very day to have their way.
“We are preparing for it.
” It is democracy and there are so many ways of showing your dissatisfaction. I assure you that those urging the executive to use force in the election or selection of National Assembly presiding offices are the enemies Asiwaju.
He should not listen to them; this is how they did it to Jonathan.
This is why I am advising the executive to be careful.”
Asked if he has any fear of the possible repeat of the 2011 scenario were lawmakers were prevented from accessing the NASS complex, he said :” You see, they want to use federal might to stop us from accessing the National Assembly to exercise our constitutional right, but they can’t. If you block, teargas or arrest us, it means they are going against the constitution and it is as good as dissolving the National Assembly midway.
“We are planning to send letters to all embassies, inviting them to watch what is going on from now to the inauguration day. I granted a press conference and spoke to the international community.”