Abuja, Nov 20 (IANS): Pandemonium broke out Thursday ahead of a crucial sitting in the Nigerian parliament when the police and other state security personnel barred federal lawmakers from the premises, dispersing them with teargas.
All the entrances to the sprawling parliament building were blocked as stern-looking security personnel manned the gates, pushing, screening and turning back a surging crowd of lawmakers and their aides, Xinhua reported.
However, the MPs scaled a high gate leading to the parliament building in defiance of the heavy security presence and the teargas fired by the police, to participate in the key sitting as the parliament holds an emergency session to discuss, particularly, the extension of emergency rule in three northeastern states where Boko Haram's attacks have been most frequent.
Parliament leader Aminu Tambuwal, who recently joined the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was accosted by security personnel and prevented from entering the parliament building, a National Assembly staffer said.
Thursday's key sitting was to be the first parliament session to be presided over by Tambuwal since he decamped to his new political habitat and the commotion ensued mainly to stop him from reconvening the House of Representatives which has, in majority, members of the ruling party, media reported.
National spokesman of the APC, Lai Mohammed, told reporters in the Nigerian capital that Tambuwal was prevented thrice from entering the parliament building by the security personnel. He said Tambuwal was later smuggled into the Lower House of Nigeria's bi-cameral legislature by his party members and supporters.
"I spoke with Speaker Tambuwal five minutes ago and he confirmed to me that he has been locked out of the National Assembly complex at the second gate. While Tambuwal is disallowed from entering the complex, his deputy, Emeka Ihedioha (a member of the ruling PDP) has been already allowed entrance and is in the chamber.
"The speaker reconvened the house at the instance of the president who wrote a letter to the speaker asking for an extension of the state of emergency in three states and now he is being ambushed and not allowed in, it is a sad development for our country. There must be limit to impunity and we are being ridiculed in the eyes of the world," said Mohammed, who spoke in his capacity as the mouthpiece of the Nigerian opposition party.
Witnesses said, however, only members of the opposition party were shut out of the parliament building as members of the ruling party were allowed in and fully seated, ready for the day's deliberations.