Senators plotting to remove Lawan to lay their hands on Buhari for his failings
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
“We will first impeach anyone who says we will not impeach Buhari. If anybody tries to block us here, whether the Senate President or anyone in the Senate, we will remove the person.
“Mr President is finding it difficult to sack his non-performing security chiefs while those terrorising the nation are not being arrested. There is tension everywhere and something drastic had to be done” – Senator Francis Fadahunsi.
Rebel Senators who have set their sights on Muhammadu Buhari insist they are fighting a just cause and will first get rid of Senate President Ahmad Lawan so they can impeach the President because of insecurity and all other ills on his watch.
They have given Buhari an ultimatum of six week beginning 27 July to fix insecurity or else they will wield their constitutional power and sack him from Aso Rock. The ultimatum expires when they resume from vacation on 20 September.
The protagonists are mainly members of the Peoples Democratic Party, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). But the plan is also gathering momentum with members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the ruling party.
Senator Orker Jev (PDP, Benue North West), said even APC lawmakers are fed up with having to defend Buhari over insecurity.
“Well, that day, we went into executive session. I think only one person among all the Senators present objected to the impeachment.
Almost everyone, regardless of party affiliation, was dissatisfied with the state of the country.
“Of course, several other issues were discovered, but that was the core issue. So the insecurity has reached the stage that the APC senators can no longer come out to defend the President,” Jev told The PUNCH.
“For instance, when I appeared on Channels TV, the anchor of the programme told me that to balance it, he had invited an APC Senator but none of them came to defend the President on the programme.
“So also, I was invited to a programme at Radio Nigeria. As I prepared to honour the invitation, I saw a text message from the anchor that they were calling off the programme because there were efforts to get another Senator from the other side but nobody was ready to come.
“Nobody is happy with what is happening in the country and no one is ready to stake his neck to defend what is indefensible.”
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Senators across party lines
Senate Customs and Excise Committee Vice Chairman Francis Fadahunsi (PDP, Osun East) said he and his colleagues are determined to impeach Lawan if he attempts to frustrate the removal of Buhari.
He reiterated the majority of Senators across political party lines have already passed a vote of no confidence in Buhari because of his administration’s inability to tackle insecurity which is getting worse daily, per reporting by The PUNCH.
His words: “We have been talking and giving suggestions on how we could end the insecurity challenges facing the country but the Head [Senate President] is hooked to the Villa. He has been frustrating all our moves to take drastic measures against the President.
“We have now made up our mind to strike now that the iron is still hot instead of wasting our time, cooperating with the Ahmad Lawan leadership while the nation is being destroyed by terrorists with no plan by the government to stop them. We won’t wait until we are all killed.”
Discarding ‘rubber stamp’ arrangement
“We have now decided to pull out of the ‘rubber stamp’ arrangement so that the whole of Nigeria would know that we have not been in support of the failing economy, the huge debts accumulation, falling naira, insecurity across the country and the unprecedented forms of corruption going on in the polity.
“The man heading us now [Lawan] was leading the opposition lawmakers before and was challenging the rot in the system then,” Fadahunsi said
“Now, he doesn’t want anyone to challenge Buhari’s government when things are falling apart every day. Any leader that opposes such a challenge in a democratic setting must also be challenged because we are elected by the people.
“Go and interview most of the Senators. There is no effective oversight of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies [MDAs] of the Federal Government. Buhari will bring the budget and his people here will want us to pass it as he brings it. No examinations and heads of MDAs are doing what they like.
“The impeachment proceedings will commence as soon as we resume from our current six-week annual vacation on September 20.
“Those who voted for Buhari in 2015 thought he could contain insecurity, being a former military General. Unfortunately, things are getting worse under his watch and he appears helpless.
“That is why we resolved that if we come back on September 20 and discover that the situation is still the same, with no appreciable steps taken, we would impeach him.
“We will first impeach anyone who says we will not impeach Buhari. If anybody tries to block us here, whether the Senate President or anyone in the Senate, we will remove the person.
“Mr President is finding it difficult to sack his non-performing security chiefs while those terrorising the nation are not being arrested. There is tension everywhere and something drastic had to be done.”
Constitutional hurdles to impeachment
House of Representatives Media and Public Affairs Committee Chairman Benjamin Kalu said opposition lawmakers seem to have agreed that the available time is inadequate to impeach Buhari.
“They have started seeing my position as reasonable. The procedural timeline I highlighted opened their eyes to the impracticality of their move. I see them reversing,” he insisted.
Kalu cited Section 143 of the Constitution which prescribes timeframes for each stage of impeach process.
He dismissed the impeachment move as belated, saying the administration would have been over by the time the process is concluded.
Impeachment agitators say they will press on
Those itching for the sack of Buhari insisted they will press on with the initiative and dismissed media reports they are backing down. Their views are articulated, reported by The PUNCH.
Senator Francis Fadahunsi (PDP, Osun East)
“Who said so? Who are the opposition (lawmakers) that met? You did an interview with Senator Gershom Bassey who said that we meant what we said. Those people saying such are not feeling fine.
“Even Northern Senators are in support of the impeachment; you heard Senator Clifford (Ordia) from Edo, Senator Bulkachuwa (Mohammed) and the rest. So, who are those that told them so?’’
“Bulkachuwa had earlier moved the motion but the Senate President shot him down because we were not around. Very soon, we will push him out of the place instead of dying one after the other and keeping silent.
“My lawyer was kidnapped twice on Kogi road; his wife was just released from the hospital after she got shot. Before then, I was also attacked twice, so why will I allow anyone to shut me down from expressing my grievances.
“I have not heard such communication that we are backing down on the impeachment move and, I won’t back down.”
Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (APGA, Abia South)
“I am not aware of such a decision as the plenary was adjourned on the same day we moved to impeach the President. No such thing. We went on break that same day.”
Senator Orker Jev (PDP, Benue North West)
“I’m not aware of any such development. Most likely untrue.”
Toby Okechukwu (House of Representatives Deputy Minority Leader)
“Who did they quote? They quoted an anonymous source. How can the Senators back down and there is no name (of those interviewed)?”
Senator Abiodun Olujimi (PDP, Ekiti South)
“I am not aware of such a decision, it was a settled issue that we have all agreed on the impeachment of the President if the insecurity state of the nation was not addressed.
“We haven’t held any meetings since then; at least to the best of my knowledge. So, things remain as they are.”
Senator Danjuma La’ah (PDP, Kaduna South – Deputy Minority Whip)
“We are still on the process. The ultimatum still stands.”
Senator Nicholas Tofowomo (PDP, Ondo South)
“I am not aware of anything of such [withdrawal of impeachment plan].
“Although we are currently on recess, if there is anything of such it is the responsibility of the Minority Leader to inform all the opposition Senators before any decision would be taken in that regard.
“The Minority Leader should have called a meeting where everybody would agree before the decision would be taken but if it truly happened I wasn’t informed.”