The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned Monday afternoon’s invasion of the Akwa Ibom House of Assembly complex by suspected hoodlums.
The party’s position was contained in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan.
The party alleged that police personnel protected the suspected hoodlums while leaving members of the House unprotected.
The statement read in full:
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) condemns attempts by hoodlums to disrupt the sitting of members of the Akwa-Ibom State House of Assembly.
The party also condemns the role allegedly played by the police in the state, in reportedly aiding the invasion of the House of Assembly complex by the hoodlum, resulting in near breakdown of order in the state legislature.
The armed thugs, who accompanied a former member of the House of Assembly, Idongesit Ituen, attempted to disrupt proceedings in a bid to stop the House from reading an order of a Federal High Court, which had last week declared his seat vacant following his decampment from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The court had in a declarative judgment ordered the House of Assembly not to recognize Hon Ituen as a member of the Akwa Ibom state House of Assembly.
Strangely, last week, the new Police commissioner posted to the state, Mr. J.B Abang, without any reasons, reportedly ordered the immediate withdrawal of police officers attached to house members, an action which paved the way for the hoodlums to invade the complex and attempted to disrupt proceedings.
Curiously, the hoodlums who attempted to break into the chambers had the backing of policemen, while the members were unprotected, a development which pointed to high-level official conspiracy against the state legislature.
Though the House of Assembly stood in defence of the law and declared Ituen’s seat as well as those of four others who had decamped from the PDP vacant, in line with the judgment of the court, the PDP completely condemns the action of the police in aiding an invasion of a legislative house.
While stating that our lawmakers will not be deterred by any form of intimidation and resort to violence by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and compromised security officials, particularly the police, the PDP urges Nigerians to hold the Police and the APC responsible should any harm come upon the leadership or any member of the Akwa-Ibom State House of Assembly.