Again, PDP lawmakers caution against plot to remove Saraki

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members of the House of Representatives have alleged an impending plot by some senators, aided by security agencies to invade the Senate and illegally impeach Senate President Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu.

A press statement by the group’s spokesman Chukwuka Onyema (PDP, Anambra), said the alleged plotters were hiding under the pretext of “urgent national issues” to unlawfully reconvene the Senate, which is currently on recess.

“Ostensibly, they claim to address what they term urgent national issues; however, their real purpose is to unlawfully oust the leadership of the Senate President and Deputy Senate President,” he said.

The group said the procedure for reconvening the National Assembly is unambiguously stated in the rules of both chambers of the National Assembly, as derived from Section 60 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

“When the National Assembly stands adjourned to a fixed date, it may only be reconvened at an earlier or later date, when the leaders of the National Assembly make a written notice to the presiding officers, stating that there is a need to convene plenary to attend to matters of urgent national importance.

“In such an event, the presiding officer may give notice to members of a date that the National Assembly is to reconvene,” the statement said.

The lawmakers claimed that in the present circumstance, there had been no such notification to either the Senate President or the Speaker of the House of Representatives, warning that it was “illegal” to operate outside of the laid down rules.

They however, condemned what they called “hideous attempt by government to wither and destroy the institution of parliament and the bastion our democracy,”

They said as representatives sworn to uphold the law and protect the country’s democratic existence, they must resist the new trend of events. of