{"id":63440,"date":"2018-08-08T15:39:25","date_gmt":"2018-08-08T14:39:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=63440"},"modified":"2018-08-08T15:39:25","modified_gmt":"2018-08-08T14:39:25","slug":"nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki\/","title":{"rendered":"NASS SIEGE: This Is Not The Change Nigerians Voted-Saraki"},"content":{"rendered":"

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE\u00a0 \u00a0SENATE, HIS\u00a0 \u00a0EXCELLENCY\u00a0 \u00a0(DR.)
\nABUBAKAR\u00a0 \u00a0BUKOLA SARAKI,\u00a0 \u00a0CON,\u00a0 \u00a0AT\u00a0 \u00a0A\u00a0 \u00a0WORLD\u00a0 \u00a0PRESS\u00a0 \u00a0CONFERENCE
\nHELD AT THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX ON\u00a0WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2018<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n

1. It is a matter of record that yesterday, lawmakers and staff of the
\nNational Assembly were prevented from entering the National\u00a0 \u00a0Assembly
\nComplex\u00a0 \u00a0by\u00a0 \u00a0heavily\u00a0 \u00a0armed\u00a0 \u00a0security agents\u00a0 \u00a0of\u00a0 \u00a0the\u00a0 \u00a0Department
\nof\u00a0 \u00a0State\u00a0 \u00a0Services\u00a0 \u00a0(DSS).\u00a0 \u00a0All entries to the Complex were blocked
\nas early as\u00a06.30 am.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0The National Assembly, the seat of democracy in
\nNigeria, was under lockdown. Senators and Members of the House of
\nRepresentatives were prevented from gaining access.<\/p>\n

2. The ensuring standoff was a show of shame that played itself out over
\nseveral hours in full view of the country. In no circumstances should this
\nhave happened. And we as a nation reaped the bitter fruits
\ninstantaneously, as evident in media images relayed around the world,
\nimages that shame us as a democratic nation. The siege was also an act of
\ncowardice\u00a0 by\u00a0 those\u00a0 seeking\u00a0 to\u00a0 carry\u00a0 out\u00a0 an\u00a0 illegal impeachment\u00a0 of
\nthe\u00a0 leadership\u00a0 of\u00a0 the\u00a0 Senate\u00a0 \u00a0in\u00a0 flagrant<\/p>\n

disregard of the law. People who seek control at all costs, by whatever
\nmeans, never minding the injury to democratic norms.<\/p>\n

3. We have to say that this is not about us \u2013 Abubakar Bukola Saraki or
\nYakubu Dogara as an individual. It is not about Ike\u00a0 \u00a0Ekweremadu,\u00a0 \u00a0nor
\nis\u00a0 \u00a0it\u00a0 \u00a0about\u00a0 \u00a0Yusuf\u00a0 \u00a0Lasun.\u00a0 \u00a0We\u00a0 \u00a0are speaking for my colleagues
\nwhen I say that this is about the soul of Nigeria, what we represent as a
\ncountry, (people) and our standing in the comity of nations. This is a
\ncountry where so much is expected of us, so many rungs of the ladder that
\nwe are supposed to have ascended as a nation. Instead we are wallowing in
\nimpunity and illegal show of force, all of which retard our progress.<\/p>\n

4. This is most disheartening. We don\u2019t get any joy in saying: We said so.
\nWe don\u2019t. However, some of you may recall that\u00a0 \u00a0about\u00a0 \u00a0two\u00a0 \u00a0years
\nago,\u00a0 \u00a0I\u00a0 \u00a0stated\u00a0 \u00a0that\u00a0 \u00a0there\u00a0 \u00a0was\u00a0 \u00a0a government within this
\ngovernment, to a purpose that was not in the interest of what the people
\nvoted for. I said it then, and now, almost on a daily basis, we are seeing
\nthe manifestations of that government within a government. It beats one\u2019s
\nimagination how the head of a security agency could have authorized the
\nbrazen assault on the legislature that we saw yesterday. Only recently we
\nsaw in Benue how 8 members of the 30 members of State House of Assembly
\nwith the collaboration of security forces, DSS and police tried to impeach
\nthe Governor. Despite the threat to our lives, we shall continue to fight
\nimpunity and injustice in this country.<\/p>\n

5. Happily, by the actions that Nigerians took yesterday, they
\ndemonstrated\u00a0 \u00a0our\u00a0 strong\u00a0 \u00a0resolve\u00a0 \u00a0as\u00a0 \u00a0a\u00a0 \u00a0nation\u00a0 not\u00a0 \u00a0to\u00a0 \u00a0give
\nground to oppression. The legislature, more than any other institution
\nin\u00a0 \u00a0this\u00a0 \u00a0country,\u00a0 \u00a0more\u00a0 \u00a0than\u00a0 \u00a0any\u00a0 \u00a0other\u00a0 \u00a0arm\u00a0 \u00a0of government,
\nrepresents\u00a0 \u00a0the\u00a0 \u00a0will\u00a0 \u00a0of\u00a0 \u00a0the\u00a0 \u00a0people.\u00a0 \u00a0We\u00a0 \u00a0are elected by the
\npeople, and an assault on the legislature is an assault on the people of
\nNigeria. The forcible shutdown of the legislature was an unconscionable
\nassault on a national institution, and thanks\u00a0 to\u00a0 \u00a0all\u00a0 \u00a0your efforts,
\nthe aggressors have been put to shame.<\/p>\n

6. The resistance mounted by staff of the National Assembly, our
\ncolleagues\u00a0 \u00a0in\u00a0 both\u00a0 \u00a0chambers\u00a0 \u00a0and\u00a0 \u00a0Civil\u00a0 Society Organisations
\n(CSOs) who refused to leave the entrance of this Complex until the siege
\nwas broken, strengthens our faith in the people of this country. The rain
\nfell, the sun rose,\u00a0 \u00a0but\u00a0 \u00a0Nigerians\u00a0 \u00a0stood\u00a0 \u00a0their\u00a0 \u00a0ground\u00a0 \u00a0in
\ndefence\u00a0 \u00a0of democracy.\u00a0 \u00a0With\u00a0 \u00a0the\u00a0 \u00a0strength\u00a0 \u00a0of\u00a0 \u00a0will\u00a0 \u00a0demonstrated
\nby everyone\u00a0 \u00a0against\u00a0 \u00a0unwarranted\u00a0 \u00a0and\u00a0 \u00a0unconstitutional
\nmilitaristic might, the siege could not stand.<\/p>\n

7. By\u00a0 \u00a0this,\u00a0 \u00a0we\u00a0 \u00a0have\u00a0 \u00a0shown\u00a0 \u00a0that\u00a0 \u00a0Nigerians\u00a0 \u00a0can\u00a0 \u00a0resist
\ngovernment within government in whatever guise, and this is humbling for
\nus. Those who sought to defend the attack on the National Assembly under
\nour leadership for their selfish ends have further affirmed our belief in
\nthis country. They attempted to execute an illegal impeachment of the
\nleadership of the Senate without the backing of the law, but they
\nfaltered.\u00a0 \u00a0We\u00a0 \u00a0are\u00a0 \u00a0confident\u00a0 \u00a0that,\u00a0 \u00a0together,\u00a0 \u00a0we\u00a0 \u00a0shall always
\ndefeat acts of unconstitutionality. The rule of law shall always prevail.<\/p>\n

8. We\u00a0 \u00a0want\u00a0 \u00a0to\u00a0 \u00a0thank\u00a0 \u00a0Nigerians,\u00a0 \u00a0Senators,\u00a0 \u00a0Members\u00a0 \u00a0of\u00a0 \u00a0the
\nHouse of Representatives and National Assembly Staff, for standing up to
\nbe counted for democracy during yesterday\u2019s siege. We thank the thousands
\nwho monitored the situation on radio, television and social media, voicing
\ntheir outrage at the siege, thereby sending a clear message to those that
\nhatched the plot that the Nigerian public would not buy this act of
\ngangsterism using instruments of state such as the DSS.<\/p>\n

9. We also thank the international community – particularly the\u00a0 \u00a0European
\nUnion\u00a0 \u00a0that\u00a0 \u00a0visited\u00a0 \u00a0the\u00a0 \u00a0complex\u00a0 \u00a0–\u00a0 \u00a0and\u00a0 \u00a0the international
\npress,\u00a0 for\u00a0 their\u00a0 prompt\u00a0 reactions\u00a0 to\u00a0 the invasion\u00a0 \u00a0of\u00a0 \u00a0the
\nNational\u00a0 \u00a0Assembly.\u00a0 \u00a0CSOs\u00a0 \u00a0and\u00a0 \u00a0Socio-cultural groups were emphatic in
\ntheir statements during the crisis, and we very much appreciate their
\nvigilance.<\/p>\n

10. Among the many that come\u00a0 \u00a0up\u00a0 \u00a0for\u00a0 \u00a0special\u00a0 \u00a0mention, we believe
\nthat Honourable Boma Goodhead, a member of the House of Representatives,
\nstands out.\u00a0 She looked a masked security operative in the eye and dared
\nhim to shoot. She let it\u00a0 \u00a0be\u00a0 \u00a0known\u00a0 \u00a0that\u00a0 \u00a0Nigerians\u00a0 \u00a0would\u00a0 \u00a0not
\nstand\u00a0 \u00a0for\u00a0 \u00a0the barricade at the National Assembly, that we would not be
\ncowed. It was another pointer to what is possible in this country when
\nwomen take their place in leadership.<\/p>\n

11. We applaud all who kicked against the atrocity and who stood\u00a0 \u00a0firm
\nuntil\u00a0 \u00a0sanity\u00a0 prevailed.\u00a0 \u00a0We\u00a0 \u00a0are\u00a0 \u00a0proud\u00a0 \u00a0of\u00a0 how everyone conducted
\nthemselves in what was\u00a0 \u00a0no\u00a0 \u00a0doubt\u00a0 \u00a0a tense standoff. The principled
\nstance and defiant reactions to the ugly incident, proved crucial to the
\nfailure of the plot. This is what we have been saying about the power of
\nthe people. The role of the people in defending democracy is paramount.<\/p>\n

12. We thank the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, for his handling
\nof the situation we were all confronted with yesterday.\u00a0 His\u00a0 \u00a0decisive
\naction\u00a0 \u00a0went a long way\u00a0 towards restoring confidence and the image of
\nour country. It sent a powerful\u00a0 \u00a0message\u00a0 \u00a0–\u00a0 \u00a0that\u00a0 \u00a0the\u00a0 \u00a0DSS\u00a0 \u00a0cannot
\nbe\u00a0 \u00a0recklessly deployed against institutions of our democracy. The path
\nof leadership\u00a0 \u00a0is\u00a0 \u00a0not\u00a0 \u00a0by\u00a0 \u00a0party,\u00a0 \u00a0and\u00a0 \u00a0we\u00a0 \u00a0must\u00a0 \u00a0commend\u00a0 \u00a0it
\nwherever it is found. Mr. Acting President did the right thing. However,
\nthe damage control so far does not address the question of how this
\ninvasion was allowed to happen in the first place.<\/p>\n

13. This is an incident concerning which we have it on good authority that
\nit has been in the planning for months. How is it that such an atrocity
\nwas not prevented? How is it that the masterminds were not deterred? Very
\nserious questions remain that can only be answered by a full
\ninvestigation. We\u00a0 \u00a0call\u00a0 \u00a0for\u00a0 \u00a0an\u00a0 \u00a0investigation,\u00a0 \u00a0and\u00a0 \u00a0we\u00a0 \u00a0demand
\nthat\u00a0 all perpetrators are brought to book. We owe it to ourselves to
\nensure\u00a0 \u00a0that\u00a0 \u00a0such\u00a0 \u00a0a\u00a0 \u00a0situation\u00a0 \u00a0never\u00a0 \u00a0occurs\u00a0 \u00a0again.\u00a0 Many
\nagencies have abused their powers and acted outside the ambit of the law
\non occasion. Where abuses occur, similar actions must be taken immediately
\nand full investigation instituted.<\/p>\n

14. We must say that when we fought for Change, we could not have
\nenvisaged a scenario such as unfolded yesterday \u2013 an atmosphere where
\npeople cannot tolerate dissent, or mere differences of opinion as to the
\nfuture of our dear country. This is not the Change we fought for. We did
\nnot fight for instruments of state to be used to oppress Nigerians and
\ntheir lawmakers. We know that we, certainly, did not fight just so the
\nlegislature could be undermined and subjected to this onslaught.<\/p>\n

15. There are many lessons to be drawn from the ugly incident we\u00a0 \u00a0all
\nwitnessed\u00a0 \u00a0yesterday.\u00a0 \u00a0For\u00a0 \u00a0one,\u00a0 \u00a0government\u00a0 \u00a0must ensure that
\nsecurity agencies remain neutral and act in line with\u00a0 \u00a0the\u00a0 \u00a0position
\nof\u00a0 \u00a0the\u00a0 \u00a0constitution\u00a0 \u00a0as\u00a0 \u00a0well\u00a0 \u00a0as\u00a0 \u00a0their enabling laws. Heads of
\nAgencies should be accountable, and those who step out of line must be
\nheld responsible for their\u00a0 \u00a0actions.\u00a0 \u00a0Enough\u00a0 \u00a0with\u00a0 \u00a0impunity.\u00a0 \u00a0Enough
\nwith\u00a0 \u00a0the reckless\u00a0 \u00a0and\u00a0 \u00a0senseless\u00a0 \u00a0deployment\u00a0 \u00a0of\u00a0 \u00a0militaristic
\nforce. Enough.<\/p>\n

16. In this dark cloud, we can see the silver lining, and that silver
\nlining is the commitment of Nigerians to defending their hard-won
\ndemocracy. We are more than encouraged by\u00a0 \u00a0the\u00a0 \u00a0strength,\u00a0 \u00a0the
\ndetermination\u00a0 \u00a0and\u00a0 \u00a0the\u00a0 \u00a0resolve\u00a0 \u00a0of ordinary Nigerians to see to it
\nthat democracy survives and thrives in this\u00a0 \u00a0country.\u00a0 We are also
\nstrengthened\u00a0 by the determination of the media to report and analyse the
\ntruth as they see it.<\/p>\n

17. We want to reassure Nigerians that, on our part, we remain committed
\nto working for a country governed by the rule of law. Our desire is to
\nhave a society where there will be equity and justice, not oppression. We
\nstand committed to doing\u00a0 \u00a0our\u00a0 \u00a0utmost\u00a0 \u00a0as\u00a0 \u00a0lawmakers\u00a0 \u00a0to\u00a0 \u00a0ensure
\nthat\u00a0 \u00a0the responsibility\u00a0 \u00a0and\u00a0 \u00a0functionality\u00a0 \u00a0of\u00a0 \u00a0governance\u00a0 \u00a0are
\nmet. Although we are on annual break, we are daily reviewing the
\nsituation\u00a0 \u00a0and\u00a0 \u00a0are\u00a0 \u00a0alive\u00a0 \u00a0to\u00a0 \u00a0the\u00a0 \u00a0responsibility\u00a0 \u00a0to\u00a0 \u00a0take
\naction as necessary. Unfortunately, yesterday\u2019s shutdown prevented us from
\nmeeting with INEC, as scheduled, to address their request. We will
\ncontinue to do all to ensure a smooth and successful 2019 election. In the
\nspirit of that we\u00a0 \u00a0also\u00a0 \u00a0appeal\u00a0 \u00a0to\u00a0 \u00a0Mr.\u00a0 \u00a0President\u00a0 \u00a0to\u00a0 \u00a0sign\u00a0 \u00a0the
\nnew\u00a0 \u00a02018 Electoral\u00a0 \u00a0Act\u00a0 \u00a0Amendment\u00a0 \u00a0Bill\u00a0 \u00a0in\u00a0 \u00a0line\u00a0 \u00a0with\u00a0 \u00a0his
\nrecommendations, which has been sent for his assent.<\/p>\n

18. We remain confident in the support of my colleagues and their\u00a0 \u00a0focus
\non\u00a0 \u00a0the\u00a0 \u00a0job\u00a0 \u00a0at\u00a0 \u00a0hand,\u00a0 \u00a0which\u00a0 \u00a0is\u00a0 \u00a0to\u00a0 \u00a0serve\u00a0 \u00a0the Nigerian
\npeople. My confidence is unshaken. We remain committed\u00a0 \u00a0to\u00a0 \u00a0the
\nsuccess\u00a0 \u00a0of\u00a0 \u00a0the\u00a0 \u00a0historic\u00a0 \u00a08th\u00a0 National Assembly, and to the
\ncontinued progress of our country.<\/p>\n

19. In\u00a0 \u00a0closing,\u00a0 \u00a0let\u00a0 \u00a0me\u00a0 \u00a0reiterate\u00a0 \u00a0that\u00a0 \u00a0neither\u00a0 \u00a0myself,
\nDeputy Senate President or Speaker\u00a0 belong to the class\u00a0 of politicians
\nthat are desperate to stay in power by al means and at all costs. The day,
\ntwo thirds of our members feel they\u00a0 \u00a0do\u00a0 \u00a0not\u00a0 \u00a0have\u00a0 \u00a0confidence\u00a0 \u00a0in
\nour\u00a0 \u00a0leadership,\u00a0 \u00a0we\u00a0 \u00a0will gracefully bow out. I repeat again and
\nagain, this is not about us, but about respecting the constitution and the
\nrule of law.<\/p>\n

Thank you.<\/p>\n

PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE\u00a0 \u00a0SENATE, HIS\u00a0 \u00a0EXCELLENCY\u00a0 \u00a0(DR.) ABUBAKAR\u00a0 \u00a0BUKOLA SARAKI,\u00a0 \u00a0CON,\u00a0 \u00a0AT\u00a0 \u00a0A\u00a0 \u00a0WORLD\u00a0 \u00a0PRESS\u00a0 \u00a0CONFERENCE HELD AT THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX ON\u00a0WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2018. 1.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":59885,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\nNASS SIEGE: This Is Not The Change Nigerians Voted-Saraki - Pointblank News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NASS SIEGE: This Is Not The Change Nigerians Voted-Saraki - Pointblank News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE\u00a0 \u00a0SENATE, HIS\u00a0 \u00a0EXCELLENCY\u00a0 \u00a0(DR.) ABUBAKAR\u00a0 \u00a0BUKOLA SARAKI,\u00a0 \u00a0CON,\u00a0 \u00a0AT\u00a0 \u00a0A\u00a0 \u00a0WORLD\u00a0 \u00a0PRESS\u00a0 \u00a0CONFERENCE HELD AT THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX ON\u00a0WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2018. 1.…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pointblank News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-08-08T14:39:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Bukola-Saraki-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Our Reporter\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Our Reporter\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Our Reporter\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c\"},\"headline\":\"NASS SIEGE: This Is Not The Change Nigerians Voted-Saraki\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-08-08T14:39:25+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki\/\"},\"wordCount\":1713,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Bukola-Saraki-1.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Exclusive\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki\/\",\"name\":\"NASS SIEGE: This Is Not The Change Nigerians Voted-Saraki - Pointblank News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Bukola-Saraki-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-08-08T14:39:25+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Bukola-Saraki-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Bukola-Saraki-1.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":600},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"NASS SIEGE: This Is Not The Change Nigerians Voted-Saraki\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/\",\"name\":\"Pointblank News\",\"description\":\"Just the news\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c\",\"name\":\"Our Reporter\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/83b3820ef93d502ae3a617b2c881ca42?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/83b3820ef93d502ae3a617b2c881ca42?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Our Reporter\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/author\/admin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"NASS SIEGE: This Is Not The Change Nigerians Voted-Saraki - Pointblank News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"NASS SIEGE: This Is Not The Change Nigerians Voted-Saraki - Pointblank News","og_description":"STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE\u00a0 \u00a0SENATE, HIS\u00a0 \u00a0EXCELLENCY\u00a0 \u00a0(DR.) ABUBAKAR\u00a0 \u00a0BUKOLA SARAKI,\u00a0 \u00a0CON,\u00a0 \u00a0AT\u00a0 \u00a0A\u00a0 \u00a0WORLD\u00a0 \u00a0PRESS\u00a0 \u00a0CONFERENCE HELD AT THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX ON\u00a0WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2018. 1.…","og_url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki\/","og_site_name":"Pointblank News","article_published_time":"2018-08-08T14:39:25+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":600,"url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Bukola-Saraki-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Our Reporter","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Our Reporter","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki\/"},"author":{"name":"Our Reporter","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c"},"headline":"NASS SIEGE: This Is Not The Change Nigerians Voted-Saraki","datePublished":"2018-08-08T14:39:25+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki\/"},"wordCount":1713,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Bukola-Saraki-1.jpg","articleSection":["Exclusive"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki\/","url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki\/","name":"NASS SIEGE: This Is Not The Change Nigerians Voted-Saraki - Pointblank News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Bukola-Saraki-1.jpg","datePublished":"2018-08-08T14:39:25+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Bukola-Saraki-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Bukola-Saraki-1.jpg","width":800,"height":600},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nass-siege-this-is-not-the-change-nigerians-voted-saraki\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"NASS SIEGE: This Is Not The Change Nigerians Voted-Saraki"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#website","url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/","name":"Pointblank News","description":"Just the news","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c","name":"Our Reporter","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/83b3820ef93d502ae3a617b2c881ca42?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/83b3820ef93d502ae3a617b2c881ca42?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Our Reporter"},"url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63440"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63440\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}