Senate President, PDP plan to attack APC Senators with thugs, ruling party alleges

The APC has relentlessly called for Saraki's impeachment since he defected from the APC to the PDP last month and both sides have made several public allegations of evil plots by the other party.

In a statement signed by the APC's Acting National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, on Tuesday, August 14, 2018, the party said Saraki has met with some senators and hatched a plot to harm APC lawmakers to prevent his impeachment.

The party said several APC lawmakers will be lured to a meeting by PDP and then harmed with hired thugs to prevent them from attending legislative sittings that could lead to Saraki's impeachment.

The statement read, "Our attention has been drawn to sinister plans by the People's Democratic Party (PDP) to attack some All Progressives Congress (APC) Senators as part of the PDP's desperate bid to ensure that Dr. Bukola Saraki clings to the position of Senate President.

"By this statement, we call on security agents to protect APC Senators. If any Senator is harmed, the PDP and Saraki should be held directly responsible. We call on security agencies to also closely monitor the activities of some PDP leaders including Saraki because the plan to attack APC Senators is real and imminent.

"We were informed that the plot was hatched in the private residence of a PDP leader in Maitama-Abuja on Sunday night. The meeting was attended by 15 pro-Saraki Senators including the Senate President himself.

"We learnt that the PDP expressed worry over the APC's Senate majority and considered several options to stop the APC from taking over the Senate leadership among which is attacking some APC Senators to ensure their inability to attend legislative sittings. The PDP have recruited thugs for this purpose, we have now learnt.

"'During Sunday's meeting, the PDP Senators planned several types of attack, one of which is to lure some of them (APC Senators) out at night in the guise of inviting Senators to a political settlement meeting and thereafter instigate a violent confrontation during the meeting and unleash standby PDP thugs on APC Senators,' our source privy to the meeting informed us."

Saraki tried to buy APC Senators with N100m each - APC

The ruling party further alleged that the plot is a follow-up to Saraki's previous attempt to buy over APC Senators with N100 million each to upset the party's majority in the Senate.

The statement, "This revelation has not come to us as a surprise because the Senate President through proxies has made several failed attempts to buy over APC Senators with N100million each.

"As a Party, we don't believe in inducing lawmakers to achieve our legitimate goal of removing Saraki as Senate President. We will get the support of some PDP Senators to get the required 2/3 vote and impeach Saraki. We are already talking to some of PDP Senators who believe and support the direction of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to achieve our legitimate goal."

The APC once again called on Saraki to resign from his position as leader of the "APC majority Senate", vowing to impeach him instead.

Reconvene National Assembly - APC tells Saraki

In the Tuesday statement, the APC described Saraki's failure to reconvene the National Assembly as an action bothering on high treason. The party said it was another display of the lawmaker's penchant for abuse of powers and sabotage of government.

The statement read, "As Chairman of the 8 National Assembly, Saraki's decision not to reconvene the National Assembly done with the support of the Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara further buttresses our position that Saraki is ever ready to pursue his selfish interests over National Interest.

"This is another brazen display of his penchant for abuse of powers and sabotage of government, however the cost and implication.

"While Saraki and his cohorts continue to postpone their doomsday regarding the imminent Senate leadership change, the yet-to-be considered 2019 budget of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is dangerously delayed.

"Clearly, Saraki's actions as Senate President now bother on high treason."

Why National Assembly won't reconvene soon - Saraki, Dogara

In a statement jointly issued by Saraki, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, on Tuesday, they noted that recalling members of the National Assembly at the moment would be 'irresponsible' as joint Senate and House Committees don't yet have reports on the INEC budget request sent by President Muhammadu Buhari last month.

The statement read, "The leadership of the two chambers had met and agreed to reconvene to consider the proposal this week before which a meeting between the Joint Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Electoral Matters and officials of the INEC must have held on or before Monday August 13, 2018.

"The joint committees were also expected to meet with the joint Senate and House Committees on Appropriations, Loans and Debts on the Eurobond loan request after which two reports would have been ready for presentation in the two chambers.

"However, no such meeting had taken place yet as a result of which both Senate and House of Representatives cannot reconvene as there is no report to consider.

"Until the Committees have a ready report for the consideration of the two chambers, it will be most irresponsible to recall members from recess especially those that may have travelled to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj."

The national assembly adjourned legislative sittings till September 25 during plenary on July 24, amid a controversial clampdown by security operatives on Saraki and Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, in what has been described as a witch-hunt orchestrated by the executive.

The alleged witch-hunt raised even more concerns when operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS)invaded the national assembly complex on Tuesday, August 7, 2018, a day Saraki had scheduled a meeting of the leadership of the parliament, as well as with INEC chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu.