Last week Tuesday was a day the immediate past Director-General (DG) of the Department of State Services (DSS) Lawal Musa Daura will not forget in a hurry.
He went beyond his powers and saw the bitter part of the Acting President Yemi Osinbajo.
Daura had that Tuesday morning deployed armed and masked security operatives from the DSS to take over the National Assembly complex.
Initially, there was total blockage as lawmakers, journalists, management and staff were denied access.
These took place on a day principal officers of the Senate and the House of Representatives were scheduled to meet by 12 p.m. and to be followed by another meeting with the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu.
Daura’s greatest sin on that Tuesday was his failure to get the permission of the Acting President before taking the action, which many Nigerians have described as anti-democracy.
Shocked by Daura’s action, Osinbajo summoned him and the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris to explain the National Assembly blockage.
Osinbajo didn’t hesitate to hit Daura with the ‘sledgehammer’, termination of appointment.
Shortly after their meeting, Daura’s appointment as the DG DSS was terminated while Idris exonerated himself from the drama and National Assembly blockage.
Osinbajo was said to have particularly taken the action against Daura to prevent derailing of the democratic governance in the country and also to distance the Presidency from Daura’s action.
The two quick statements issued that day by the Senior Special Assistant to the Acting President, Laolu Akande reads “The Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has directed the termination of the appointment of the Director General, State Security Service, Lawal Musa Daura with immediate effect.
“Mr. Daura has been directed to hand over to the most senior officer of the State Security Service until further notice.
“Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has described the unauthorized takeover of the National Assembly complex earlier today as a gross violation of constitutional order, rule of law and all acceptable notions of law and order.
“According to him, the unlawful act which was done without the knowledge of the Presidency is condemnable and completely unacceptable.
“By this statement, Professor Osinbajo is consequently assuring Nigerians that all persons within the law enforcement apparatus who participated in this travesty will be identified and subjected to appropriate disciplinary action.” he stated
Since last Tuesday, Osinbajo’s action has been commended by many stakeholders and well-meaning Nigerians.
Although some Nigerians believed that Osinbajo, who has remained very loyal to President Muhammadu Buhari, who is holidaying in London, must have sought for his opinion on the issue before sacking Daura.
The response of the Special Adviser to the President on Media and publicity, Femi Adesina, to questions from reporters the following day, disclosed that the Presidency, as a whole, supported the termination of Daura’s appointment.
He said, “What we will like to say for the umpteenth time is that the presidency is one. Whenever the President is proceeding on vacation he transmit power to the Vice President, who then become the Acting President. On this occasion he also did that.
“So the Acting President has all the powers of a President. Now it’s a matter then of decency and we know that the Acting President is a decent man.
“There is no tussle for power, there is no tough battle between him and the President.
“When something like what happened yesterday will happen, there then will be unanimity. There is no way there won’t be unanimity on that kind of decision.
“It’s not something that will be discussed with the press but know that there was unanimity in the decision.” Adesina stated
But some Nigerians, who felt that Osinbajo unilaterally took the decision out of frustration from the series of embarrassment to the Government and to his person as a church pastor, feared that his decision may be rescinded when the President returns from holiday in London.
They based their fears on the recent past when the appointment of the suspended Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Prof. Usman Yusuf, was reinstated by the President on the 6th of February 2018.
Osinbajo, who was also the Acting President when President Buhari was in London last year, had approved through the Minister of Heath, Prof. Isaac Adewole, the suspension of Yusuf on 6th of July, 2017 over allegations of fraud.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was alleged to be investigating Yusuf for over N900 million fraud.
Yusuf, whose suspension was based on allegations of abuse of office, nepotism and insubordination, was accused of buying a brand new Toyota Sports Utility Vehicle with number plate, NHIS 12Y-01 FG, for N58m, without the express approval of the Health Minister for items above N2.5 million.
But before EFCC and ICPC could finish their investigations and make their findings public, a letter purportedly issued by the office of the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, reinstated Yusuf on the 6th of February 2018.
Some of the common factors between Daura’s and Yusuf’s cases are that they are both from the northern part of the country and the two cases happened while Osinbajo was Acting President when the President was in London.
But while the Yusuf’s case has to do with corruption allegations, Daura’s case borders on national security and threats of truncating democracy.
The fears that Daura may, at the end of the investigations, get soft landing, were further fueled by last Wednesday’s statement by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The statement issued by the APC National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Yekini Nabena, reads in parts: “Following Tuesday’s incident at the National Assembly, our investigations have now uncovered the sinister plot hatched by the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, to foment violence in the legislative chamber all in a bid to stop his impeachment.
“Our investigations uncovered and noted the following: We are now aware that the timely intervention of the security operatives forestalled the planned violence which could have led to possible deaths, injuries, and destruction of property in the National Assembly on Tuesday.
“Why did the Senate President mobilise thugs to the National Assembly who almost lynched Hon. E.J. Agbonayinma, the only APC federal lawmaker present but for the timely intervention of security operatives.” it stated
Will Lawal Daura be recalled soon to head the DSS like Yusuf’s case, or given soft landing or prosecuted for the sins leveled against him?
Only time will tell how the Lawal Daura story will end.