ANRP Denounces Siege on the National Assembly

ABUJA, 7 August 2018 — Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP) has decried with vehemence the lock down on the National Assembly earlier this morning by armed and masked operatives of the State Security Service (SSS).

The legislature is the symbol of a democracy. The use of force and might by agents of State under the control of the executive arm to oppress, intimidate, and browbeat the legislature and lay siege on its premises bears an eerie semblance of a tyrannical military dictatorship. This portends a grave danger to our democracy and must be stopped.

ANRP posits that whereas it is regrettable that our leaders and politicians have neglected the sacred duty of governance to pursue their usual selfish ambitions characterised by defecting, aligning and realigning when the country by all measures and standards is sinking, it is totally unconscionable that public institutions are used to fight personal and selfish battles. ANRP strongly condemns this unwholesome trend.

The Party however commends Acting President Yemi Osinbajo for doing the right thing in relieving the director-general of SSS, Mr Lawal Musa Daura of his job following this embarrassing violation. The symbolism of such a decisive action is noteworthy.

ANRP notes that 4 years ago Mr Suleiman Abba, the then inspector-general of police (IGP) did a similar lock down on the National Assembly with same impunity. Regrettably, our society is not learning from past errors but repeating same and going in circles.

The National Assembly itself the representative of the people routinely locks out and treats with utter disdain citizens — who are their employers and are accountable to. Gaining access to the National Assembly is an impossible task for everyday citizens, and the portion of the Assembly originally designed for public assembly and protests has been permanently converted to a car park for the luxury cars of legislators and their hangers on. The impunity displayed by the State agents of the executive arm today is therefore very mutual, as it is part of an endemic culture of this regime those preceding it.

ANRP therefore urges the good people of Nigeria to work towards replacing all the present set of transactional politicians our country has been unfortunately burdened with for the last 19 years with fresh, service-oriented, and patriotic citizens. The Party is concerned that in the absence of this, we may continue in this disgraceful downward slide for decades to come, with clear existential dangers.

Join us. Learn more about us at: www.anrp.org.ng and Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and SoundCloud: @AbundantNigeria

Sesugh Akume
National Spokesman

Office Telephone: 09064796674 (9 am – 5 pm)
Email: nationalspokesman@anrp.org.ng