The inauguration of the 8th National Assembly has been postponed indefinitely, a report from Abuja said. The Assembly was supposed to be inaugurated this morning by President Muammadu Buhari, who returned from the G7 Summit in Germany in the wee hours of today.

Indications of an imminent postponement emerged as a combined security team of the police and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) barricaded the gate of the National Assembly, literally preventing everyone including staff of the Assembly, journalists, guests even members-elect from accessing the building.

The reasons for this could be connected to the acrimony and bitterness trailing the candidacies of the contestants for the offices of the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. At least, four persons are angling for the positions.

They included Senators Bukola Saraki from Kwara State and Ahmed Lawan from Yobe State.

Also, Hons. Yakubu Dogara from Bauchi State and Femi Gbajabiamila from Lagos State are squaring up for the Speakership of the House.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) had in a mock election on Saturday at the International Conference Center (ICC), Abuja adopted Lawan and Gbajabiamila as candidates for Senate president and Speaker of the House.

But this was to the surprise and dissatisfaction of most of the incoming members elected on the party’s platform especially those supporting the candidacies of Saraki and Dogara.

Every effort to prevent the duo from participating in the election of the presiding officers including a meeting with the Vice President, Yemi Osibanjo last night failed. Both chambers of parliament are dominated by the APC.

Buhari has reportedly summoned an emergency meeting of elected APC lawmakers and leaders of the party in a desperate bid to end the deadlock.

•Partly based on a Vanguard report. Photo courtesy of Vanguard shows crowd at the entrance of the National Assembly after being denied entry by security operatives.

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