The embattled President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki has described tomorrow's #OccupyNASS as a sponsored protest by his political enemies to settle scores with him on the street rather than the Senate floor.
Saraki in a statement released this afternoon by his media officer said the protest slated to hold in Abuja tomorrow is planned to stir public disorder tomorrow through a sponsored demonstration that will seek to ground human and vehicular activities on some major streets of Abuja, particularly, those leading to the National Assembly Complex.
The statement signed by the Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) to the Senate President, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Saraki's Offfice stated that the sponsors of the protests are determined to ground the operations of the National Assembly to prove the point that the members should move against the leadership of the Senate.
"We have information that the sponsors have been deploying resources to ensure that a sizable crowd was mobilized to create chaos, confusion and tension around the streets of Abuja. Money and other materials are being provided for the organizers by the sponsors.
"Their aim, as we have earlier stated, is to further create an atmosphere of confusion by forcing the Senators to move against their leadership, particularly, the Senate President. We have insisted that while Nigerians have the inalienable right to express their opinion, move and associate freely with others, so as to convey their wishes and aspirations to their leaders, they should avoid being used by those who have ulterior motives, particularly those who want to settle political scores on the streets instead of the floor of the Senate.
"Our concern is to warn that those who are recruiting others to protest and their recruits should not create a situation of breakdown of law and order or create an atmosphere that will be seized by hoodlums to bring about needless crisis.
"We therefore call on the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, his officers and men to prevent any incident that can be used to wreak havoc on the generality of the people or on public institutions and facilities. Nigerian should learn to respect due process and allow the rule of law to take its natural course", the statement concluded.