By Aliyu DANLADI
The National Vice-Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), South-South, Mr Emmanuel Ogidi, said the sack of Director-General of Department of State Services (DSS), Lawal Daura, was good relief and victory for democracy.
Ogidi said in Abuja that Daura misused the service, misdirecting from its role, to the pedestal of Gestapo and instrument of persecution.
He deplored Tuesday’s blockade at National Assembly by operatives of the Service, describing it as “coup against Nigeria’s democracy’’.
Ogidi said such action, which was obviously ordered by the sacked director-general and his cohorts, was inimical to growth of the country’s nascent democracy and should not be tolerated by any lover of democracy.
According to him, it is unfortunate that the personnel of the DSS, an agency which is supposed to secure the nation, took over the National Assembly, the pillar of democracy.
“It is unfortunate that the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government allowed this to happen with the aim to impeach the leadership of the national assembly.
“It is also unfortunate that they are holding the country hostage; it is a coup against Nigeria’s democracy and nobody should support it.’’
On the call on the National Assembly to suspend their recess to attend to issues considered as national importance, the vice chairman said that everybody knew that the call was part of attempt to impeach the assembly’s leadership.
“The request is not in the interest of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), nor for the electorate waiting to cast their votes in the 2019 general elections.’’
He advised those behind the plot to ensure that the leadership of the national assembly was not removed by any illegal means.
“My advice is that whatever they want to do let them do it legally, because even if they do that nobody will take them serious.
“Nigerians should open their eyes. The elite and the uneducated should know that our democracy is in danger.
“When there is no democracy, what is that? We are not a banana republic.’’
The PDP chieftain also expressed concern over request by the President Muhammadu Buhari that part of the money meant for Constituencies’ projects should be moved to fund 2019 general elections.
He said that once the president had accented to the 2018 budget, it had become an Appropriation Act.
“The law has been passed and the President has signed it and it has become a law. Now, he is saying that they should review it; it is not possible now.
“Once the budget is signed it has passed the National Assembly. What he should have sent is a supplementary budget and appropriate action would be taken.
“They should stop deceiving us because some of us are educated and we know the appropriate things that needed to be done.’’
