By Dele Ogbodo
Nigerians woke up early Tuesday morning only to be accosted with the unending drama, confusion and rumoured impeachment plot against few leaders
of the upper chamber: the Senate allegedly orchestrated by some top executives of ruling party said to be backed by the presidency and with full support from the Department of State Security (DSS). The impeachment plot was said to have been put together by 12.30 am with over 30 Senators in attendance while the chamber is still on their annual recess.
The takeover of the National Assembly complex, which heralded the ongoing confusion has no doubt cast a blur on the supposedly hallowed chambers whose members are being kept there to make law and orderliness for the smooth running of the country. With more horrendous events yet to unfold, there is no doubt that law making is at the plateau point of crisis. With President Muhammadu Buhari in London on leave and the different party leaders said to be in disarray, question arises, who will bail the country out of this mess and quagmire?
The ensuing drama as reported by SHARPEDGENEWS Online, started penultimate week with the move by 8 law makers of the Benue State House Assembly squaring up to impeach their Governor, Mr. Sam Ortom, who had defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from APC. Ortom’s move though acclaimed by PDP members set the fireworks to the gale of defections of 2 other governors and several law makers to the opposition party. Rumour is rife that Senator Godswill Akpabio, the minority Senator will be switching his political base from PDP to APC on Thursday.
As it goes the impact of the ongoing drama on governance at the different tiers can only be imagined while loss of confidence by foreign investors is said to be at all time deep.
Over the week end, the National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan hinted that his party has uncovered an alleged plot by ruling party perfecting spanner to works to unseat the Senator President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and his House of Representatives counterpart, Mr. Yakubu Dogara. However, the insulation was immediately rebuffed and doused by presidency through the Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garuba Shehu and later by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alh. Lai Mohammed.
However the alleged ‘coup’ Tuesday which brought activities and operations at a standstill shutting out staff of the assembly, some Senators said to owe allegiance to Saraki and Journalists covering the beat can only be described as making mockery of democracy at this critical juncture in the country’s march for effective representative governance.
With confusing and uncertainty renting the air coupled with the penchant of both the executive and law makers showing more concern for their ‘stomach’ and cling to power, then it becomes obvious that innocent Nigerians will be at the receiving end and democracy taking one step backward, in a country where 2 square meal is increasingly becoming difficulty to source.
The on going crisis becomes unjustified in the face of present economic hardship, the obviously dilapidated infrastructure, heightening insecurity challenges and worsening corruption indices, it can only be highly appreciated that our leaders put their differences aside and roll up their sleeve to justify tax payers money being expended on them.
At the height of the ignoble confusion and drama which is fast eroding confidence from the diplomatic community as the nation awaits who is defecting to which party and from where. A political analyst who spoke with our reporter wonders: Do these politicians know the implications of their moves and why they are changing boat at the middle of the sea? If what can be described early this morning as ‘coupe’ then it is obviously a badly hatched one and bound to fail as it has turned out.”