The Senate Committee on Police Affairs will look into the circumstances leading to the closure of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly after allegations that the Nigeria Police Force “invaded” the State Assembly and prevented lawmakers from accessing their chambers was raised at a Senate plenary.
The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly has been on the spotlight since a court order pronounced the seat of 5 legislators who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) vacant for cross carpeting without an acceptable legal reason[1]. Since then, two different factions led by Onofiok Luke (PDP) and Nse Ntuen (APC) have claimed to be the legitimate Speakers of the said State House of Assembly.
Debate has been raging that the police may have taken sides in the Akwa Ibom Assembly crisis with the police accused of partisanship. The issue has raised security concerns on the neutrality of security forces as Nigeria inches closer to the 2019 General elections and with some security experts highlighting Akwa-Ibom State as a flashpoint in the upcoming elections. It will be recalled that masked men of the Department of State Security Services had restricted members of the National Assembly from having access to their chambers in August, 2018; leading to the termination of the appointment of the then Director-General of the Department of State Services, Lawal Musa Daura.
The Committee on Police Affairs is expected to present its report on Tuesday, 4 December, 2018.
[1] Section 109(g) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended)