The convoy of Senate President Bukola Saraki was blocked on Tuesday morning by well-armed security operatives as he was making his way to the National Assembly Almost simultaneously, the home of his deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, was invaded by another batch of security operatives.
And as if on cue, some senators of the All Progressives Congress, APC, are already plotting to impeach the duo as the Senate goes into plenary today.
The drama had thrown up tension in Abuja especially around the National Assembly where there had been unusual security build up. Senators were busy holding meetings in small groups.
Saraki had been invited by the police for an 8am meeting over the Offa robbery in Kwara State in which he was alleged to have been implicated by the suspects as their sponsor and benefactor. He had been quizzed before but the police extended another invitation this time for him to answer to some of the issues raised by the suspects in their confessional statements.
Saraki, on Monday night described the invitation as a ploy to prevent the mass exodus from the ruling All Progressives Congress scheduled for Tuesday by lawmakers aggrieved with the President. This may have prompted the onslaught on him and his deputy both of whom had come under severe attack by agents of President Buhari and top echelon of the APC who had frowned at the perceived stubbornness of the duo.
Saraki and Ekweremadu had insisted on the independence of the Senate. Ekweremadu, a PDP senator, emerged deputy senate president to Saraki at the inauguration of the National Assembly but this did not go down well with APC leadership.
PDP spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan tweeted: “Security operatives block Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu,’s residence in Apo, Abuja… Senate President Bukola Saraki already invited by the Police by 8am… Is this a democracy?”
It is doubtful if APC senators would muster enough number to impeach the duo. An APC senator who spoke to our reporter said impeachment of Saraki or anybody will not fly as there is so much anger against the police and those they represent over the manner they have been treating Saraki.
He cautioned that Saraki will not go down because “majority of us across parties are happy with his leadership”.
