Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate in the general election of 2023, has vehemently denounced the Department of State Services’ presence at the Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday.
Atiku called the security deployment “utterly reprehensible” in a statement that was uploaded to his X page, emphasising that such behaviour cannot be allowed in a democracy.
He tweeted, “The widely shared video of armed security personnel storming the Lagos State House of Assembly is completely disgusting and is strongly condemned.”
Concerned about rumours that the agents were imposing a change in leadership inside the Assembly, Atiku demanded a thorough probe into the situation.
It has to be the focus of a comprehensive examination. “The invading operatives’ purported mandate to enforce a leadership change in the House is perplexing,” he said.
Even though they had earlier positioned themselves as pro-democracy campaigners, he further attacked those he accused of obstructing democracy.
Atiku declared, “It is disgusting that those who professed to have fought for democracy chose to condone this blatant desecration of the state’s most important legislative body, thereby endangering our hard-won democracy.”
Atiku cautioned that the occurrence constituted a grave threat to the electoral process and government, characterising it as a direct assault on Nigeria’s democratic norms.
He declared, “This act is a landmark of indignity to the Nigerian electorate, especially the people of Lagos, and an attack on the sanctity of democracy.”
Atiku denounced the use of armed operations to settle internal parliamentary disputes, even if he acknowledged that disagreements over leadership are typical in democracies.
“Any undercurrent that may have contributed to the leadership crisis in the Lagos State House of Assembly is normal in a democratic system,” he said.
“It is unacceptable and should be questioned immediately when armed security personnel are allegedly invited to a parliament to participate in a conflict resolution process.”
President Bola Tinubu was also criticised by the former vice president for interfering in state matters rather than dealing with urgent national concerns.
“Rather than meddling in state affairs, Tinubu should concentrate on pulling Nigeria out of the mess he put the nation in,” Atiku stated.
Citing security concerns, the DSS has maintained that its deployment was the result of an official request from the Assembly.
