UNDERSTANDING WHAT IS HAPPENING AT THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
Since the past few hours, social media exploded with comments as Nigerians try to trapped with the events at the National Assembly with pictures of the members of the House of Representatives climbing over the gate to the National Assembly Complex. It is not for me to reason for you, but I shall list some of the points you should take into consideration when you analyse what is happening.
(1) Why would anybody try to lock the gates of the legislative building against the legislators? Isn't that where their offices are? If you are locked out of your office, what will you do? Stay away from your office or find any way possible to get into your office?
(2) Who locked them out?
(3) Which party has the majority in the House? Should that majority party be afraid of the House sitting?
(4) If the PDP has majority in the House, that should mean that PDP members should be able to remove the Speaker if the party members wanted. So, PDP should be worried about its members that are supporting the Speaker that belongs to the minority party.
(5) It is clear that those members who jumped over the gate are both from the APC and the PDP. So it is not something done by the opposition alone.
(6) What is the implication of this for the forthcoming election and for Jonathan's future in office? The country may not be able to conduct a hitch-free election. And the more controversial or violent the election the greater the probability that any government that emanates from the elections will lack legitimacy.
(7) Is it possible that we are witnessing the early manifestation of a spiral into violence by the country?
It may be better to think deeply about this and not rush into the standard mode of reaction, which is to blame the opposition or people from the North for making the country ungovernable. Indeed, the country is in a very fragile state and this is something I have been pointing at all this while, as I cried in the wilderness over Nigeria.
