The unfolding drama involving Senator Omo-Agege at the senate has shown how desperate the Ahmed Bola Tinubu camp of the All Progressives Congress to get their pound of flesh by getting the current leadership senate out of the way has boomeranged in the latest attempt of a section of senators sympathetic to the second term of president to steal the show at he National Assembly. The saga is gleefully referred to as a failed coup in some quarters due to the intrigues surrounding the whole saga.
It will be recalled that senator Omo-Agege was spearheading the fight against the reversal of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, decision to organize the presidential elections first in 2019, a decision opposed by the Senate leadership and a section of the red chambers. He was said to have declared that the position of the senate is targeted against the interest of the incumbent president, Muhammadu Buhari. Buhari has declared his intention to contest the 2019 election, then promptly went to London and told the world that his interest is only handling the security situation in the country.
Omo Agege’s statement drew the ire of the Senate leadership, and he was forced to apologize to the house which he did. He then held a press briefing and made statements inimical to the Senate, warranting the senate to suspend him for 90 days. He headed to court to challenge his suspension, and allegedly sponsored some youths from Niger Delta, where he comes from, to protest his suspension.
On April 18, 2018, he walked into the red chambers with about five men who were well dressed, and many of who appear to be middle aged men. He walked into the plenary and sat down with his entourage, which a reputable online medium later identified as officers of the Directorate of Security Services, DSS. The presidency has since denied that allegation.
It was one of these that took the mace and walked out of the chamber with the senators looking and dumbfounded. With this, Ike Ekweremadu, the Deputy Senate president, who was presiding over the plenary in the absence of Bukola Saraki, the Senate President who was out of the country on official duties to the United States of America, wanted to move for adjournment but Senator Shehu Sani brought out his belt and suggested that they use it as a mace by fiat. In between, a mace suspected to belong to the Green chamber, which has adjourned sitting in solidarity with the senate was used and the meeting continued.
Part of the day’s deliberations was the issue of the election time table reversal and the issue of huge amounts that as budgeted for Helicopters but was not accounted for by the presidency.
Meanwhile, based on the order of the senate, the Inspector general of Police sent officers to arrest Senator Omo Agege, which they did. But within hours, allegedly due to high powered pressures from the presidency, he was released from custody, and immediately sent out a press release denying that he had anything to do with the mace snatchers. Unfortunately, the whole drama was enacted in the full glare of television Cameras.
This Magazine found out that, still smarting from the intrigues surrounding the emergence of Saraki as the Senate President, and Buhari having handed the structure of APC to Tinubu, the time was rife to make sure that they are paid in their own coins. Thus with he snatching of the mace, the calculation was that Ekweremadu will adjourn after the fiasco. This will enable the DSS and the Police to allow the faction supporting the INEC position to enter the Senate chambers and, using the Mace, effect an impeachment of the Senate leadership. Even if the impeachment did not hold water, it will be able to stir up enough confusion. Unfortunately, the non adjournment by Ekweremadu nipped the plan in the bud.
Meanwhile, Ekweremadu held a closed door meeting with the Vice president, Yemi Osinbajo over the issue, even though there is presently a power vacuum since the president did not transmit any letter to the Senate handing over to Osinbajo.
Within twenty four hours, the police paraded some young boys that they claimed were the thugs that went to steal the mace.It beats the imagination on how the paradees, who were younger that they ones in the full glare of National television, were able to pass through the tight security network into the senate chambers.
The police also claimed to have found the mace outside the city gate . According to them, a vigilant Nigerian saw it and alerted the Police.
If they “coup” had succeeded, the faction of APC that felt aggrieved with the emergence of Saraki and Dogara would have won the second round. It could have effectively neutralized the Saraki/Ekweremadu alleged presidential ambition, which explains why the desperate measure to stiffle them through those loyal to the presidency. And they found a willing tool in Omo-Agege, who is a new decampee to APC and who believes that the APC magic can make him realize his ambition
