Inauguration of 8th Senate: SGF staff, security clash

ABUJA – The inauguration of the Presiding officers of the 8th assembly has thrown the entire three arms zone comprising the presidency, the Supreme Court (Judiciary) and the National Assembly into serious pandemonium following the blocking of roads leading to the secretariat by the armed security personnel.

National Assembly Crisis

Specially, staff at the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, security personnel drafted to barricade the gate clashed with staff as the later were stopped from going into their various offices.

It was gathered from a reliable source that the sudden decision of security operatives to barricade all entrances leading to the National Assembly Complex was intended to prevent elections for the highest offices of both chamber from holding.

Although people had been accredited for the event, the security operatives asked everyone to turn back despite showing their tags at the entrances.

The main entrance to the complex from the Central Area axis, two entry points from Aso Villa were blocked by a combined team of men of the Nigeria Police Force and Department of State Security (DSS).

As early as 6am, all entrances had been blocked, with security officials who craved anonymity declaring that they were acting on orders from above.

It was learnt that President Mohammadu Buhari who returned from the G7 meeting Monday night will meet with the National Assembly members of the APC by 9am on Tuesday to salvage the already situation.

The sudden development it was gathered was the alleged decision of the opposition PDP to endorse Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara for Senate President and Speaker, House of Representatives respectively.

While the APC controls 59 out of the 109 seats in the upper house as against PDP’s 49, the ruling party similarly dominates the 360-member lower house with over 200 federal legislators.

Staff at SGF office who stormed the blocked entrances along Aso Drive protested against the actions of the security operatives.

The staff who argued that it was wrong to stop them from going to the office without any circular informing them that there was not going to be work today, had hectic time with the security personnel comprising mostly of the Police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDS, and the DSS.

The civil servants who tried to forcefully gain entry into the premises argued that they have nothing to do with the National Assembly inauguration and that no circular was issued to them to stay away from work.

However about 9am as a result of the chaotic situation, the workers at the SGF office were allowed to go in with everybody displaying his or her Identity Card, while journalists that were at the gate were not allowed to pass through the gate.

 

Inauguration of 8th Senate: SGF staff, security clash