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Invasion Of NASS By Security Operatives A Throwback To Military Era – Prof Oyewo

A former Dean Of the University of Lagos Law Faculty, Prof Oyelowo Oyewo, on Tuesday described the invasion of the National Assembly by security operatives … Continue reading Invasion Of NASS By Security Operatives A Throwback To Military Era – Prof Oyewo


Prof_OyewoA former Dean Of the University of Lagos Law Faculty, Prof Oyelowo Oyewo, on Tuesday described the invasion of the National Assembly by security operatives as throwback to military rule.

He also blamed the fracas that occurred at the National Assembly on frayed relationship between the Executive and Legislative arms of government, owing to the forth coming general elections.

Lawmakers had scaled the gate of the National Assembly after security agents including the Police and SSS had barred them from gaining entrance and shot tear gas canisters at them.

“We are in an election period and hitherto there has been some semblance of sanity in the relationship between the executives and the legislature, but now the stakes are high; the gloves are off and the combatants are ready to do battle”, he said on Sunrise Daily.

He also noted that the police has been used “an instrument of the executive”, adding that “this is not the first time, we have been seeing it at the State Houses of Assembly”.

He further noted that with recent history of the police using force on the “legislative constituency” should have prompted the National Assembly “to negotiate with the central government to stop the wrong use of police.

“So the natural logical extension of this is to come for the National Assembly”, he said.

He however noted that the use of police on the National Assembly was necessitated by the change of political alternation where the “majority of the ruling PDP was eroded symbolically by the defection of the Speaker of the House to the APC”

Prof Oyewo decried the use of force on the National Assembly, maintaining that it could bring about the break down of law and order in the country, and condemned the decision by the PDP to use force and the lawmakers’ decision to scale the gate fence, noting that “two wrongs cannot make a right”.

|”Because when the person that is supposed to protect and ensure law and order- the police- now takes its own hands against the lawmakers, it neutralises the roles and it becomes something that people throw back themselves to nature”, he maintained.

He said instead of scaling the gate to gain entrance to the Assembly complex, the lawmakers should have held plenary outside the complex and “show they are more honourable than those that resorted to the force. By this act,both of them have lost the respect of being honourable and occupying position of leadership in Nigeria”.

He argued that Nigerian politicians have failed to learn from history, adding that “they behave as if they own the whole world”, wondering why they don’t give the “best philosophical dispensation of leadership advice” while in office but after they must have served out their terms in office.

Prof Oyewo also berated those involved in the quagmire for putting self interest over national interest and expressed optimism that the trouble will subside after the election.