Drama as senators move to impeach Buhari over incompetence

 

.Opposition lawmakers walk out of red chamber over Lawan’s attempt  to block process

 .We’ve required number to impeach President– Sen. Fadahunsi

.Attempt ridiculous, PDP senators confused, says Presidency

 

By Adekunle Adesuji and Obiora Ifoh, Abuja

 

 

 

Senators across party unanimously agreed to move for the Impeachment of President Muhammadu Buhari over worsening security situation in the country.

 

While the opposition Senators of the view that the impeachment process should kick start immediately.

 

The All Progressive Congress (APC) Senators wanted the Chamber to give President Buhari Six weeks to see whether there will be an improvement in the security situation before kick starting the process.

 

The Lawmakers across party agreed on the Impeachment move against the President Buhari after two hours closed door session.

 

But, the move to kick start the Impeachment process was blocked by the Senate President , Senator Ahmad Lawan when Senate Minority leader, Senator Philip Adudua came under point of order to call for Impeachment process.

 

 

Aduda in his words, said, “Mr. President, you may wish to recall that during the closed session we discussed the issues as they relate to security in the country and all the issues around it.

 

“[And] we had also discussed that we are going to come back to plenary to discuss the efforts that have been made so far on the issue of security in the country, after which we give an ultimatum to the President that he resolves this issue, otherwise we give an impeachment notice.”

 

But, Lawan quickly blocked the move by the minority leader, a development which led tthe walking out of Chamber by the angry Senators.

 

 

The Senate President, while delivering a ruling on Aduda’s point of order, faulted the lawmaker for failing to put forward his request in accordance with the upper chamber’s rules which regulates its proceedings.

 

Lawan in his ruling said, “Minority leader, when you’re going to come under a point of order, first, you’re supposed to cite the order.

 

“Secondly, you’re supposed to discuss with me what you’re going to raise on the floor. You didn’t.

 

“Thirdly, we have already passed that stage. So, at this moment, I really don’t know what the point of order is, as such it falls flat on its face.”

 

 

The Senate President, informed lawmakers that they might be called upon during recess to attend to national emergencies should the need arise.

 

 

Addressing journalists at the Senate Press Corps, Centre, the Minority Leader, said they gave President Buhari six weeks ultimatum within which he must resolve the heightened insecurity in the country or face impeachment from the National Assembly.

 

 

Aduda, who was flanked by many other lawmakers from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the newly formed New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) expressed displeasure at the daily occurrence of kidnappings, killings, extortions by the terrorists and bandits across the country.

 

 

 

He said, ‘We agreed at the closed session that we should discuss the issue of insecurity in the country but the president of the senate frustrated our efforts to discuss it at plenary,” he said.

 

“We noted at the closed session as the minority caucus in the senate, that the many resolutions passed on insecurity should be implemented.

 

“At the closed session we agreed that we must give the president an ultimatum, that if he failed to comply with our resolutions on how to tackle insecurity within six weeks, we would move impeachment proceedings against him.

 

 

“We expected the senate president to brief the public on what we discussed at the closed session but he did not.

 

“He also ruled out our point of order to discuss it.”

 

Also addressing newsmen, Senator Smart Adeyemi said that the decision of the Opposition Lawmakers was decision of the entire Red Chamber adding that there is nothing to afraid of again.

 

He said,” I think it is wrong to say opposition, It was a collective decision of the senate, to give ultimatum, the only difference from what the opposition are eventually saying is a matter of semantics.

 

“We say we are giving the President six weeks, they said they are serving impeachment notice, after six weeks we move, we come and sut down and start discussing

 

“The opposition said we must give notice but we say it has to be six weeks ultimatum, they said after six weeks what happens we said they should wait till after six weeks first

I don’t see any difference.”

 

 

Meanwhile, The lawmaker representing Osun East Senatorial District at the upper legislative chamber of the National Assembly, Senator Francis Fadahunsi, has said the 9th Senate has all it takes to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari.

Members of the opposition parties had, during Wednesday’s plenary, staged a walkout, after the move to serve impeachment notice on President Buhari was resisted by some members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

 

The impeachment move was hinged on the incessant attacks on Nigerians by dreaded insurgents and the latest threats to overrun Abuja, the nation’s capital.

 

 

 

Addressing newsmen in his office shortly after the plenary, Senator Fadahunsi said, some APC lawmakers were in support of the impeachment move and the remaining naysayers would join the majority when the Senate resumes from the long vacation.

 

“Remember I moved this motion two years ago that this President could offer nothing and that he should step aside. But the APC then, floating in the Atlantic Ocean didn’t understand what I was saying. Now that the dangerous Atlantic Ocean is sweeping them and they have overtaken even Abuja, they are gradually seeing reasons.

 

“We decided at a close door session that an impeachment notice should be passed on him, but because somebody is still busy trying to protect his job, it was not possible.

 

“Today, during the executive meeting, all of us agreed, that the man should be served an impeachment notice. Almost all the APC Senators conceded that the man should be served, except a few.

 

“By the time we come back, that is, if all of us will come back; that is, if some of us are not inflicted by the insecurity; we would all come together, regardless of our political affiliations and ask that he should go”, he said.

 

Also, Following the move by some members of the Senate to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari, the House of Representatives has signalled its intention to consider the matter soon.

The indication was given by the Minority Leader of the House, Hon Ndudi Elemelu, while leading a delegation of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) parliamentarians to woo former All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Daniel Bwala, to the main opposition party in Abuja, on Wednesday.

Speaking during the occasion at the Guzape, Abuja Office of Bwala who recently resigned his membership of the ruling party in protest against its Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket, Elemelu affirmed the lawmakers’ desire to impeach the President due to the escalating insecurity in the country and other perceived failures.

He said the House of Representatives would consider the idea soon and make its position known to the public.

The House Minority Leader, who was accompanied by other Minority officers of the House, said the delegation was in the Borno State-born Bwala’s office to encourage him to join the rescue mission of the PDP.

While noting that it was the first time that parliamentarians would be going to a private citizen to woo him into a political party, he said he had watched with admiration how Bwala stood against the attempt to exclude sections of the country by the ruling party.

The lawmaker stated that the legal practitioner had taken the right step as according to him, “the APC is a bad medicine.”

Elumelu observed that while resigning from the APC, Bwala did not indicate which political party he would join and therefore, urged him to come to the PDP.

In his response, the former APC chieftain said he was mindful of the problems of the country as he expressed appreciation that the parliamentarians had come to him on account of what he has contributed to nation-building as a private citizen.

He requested time to reflect on the demand to join the opposition but stated: “Your request is not what I can say no to.”

Bwala said while he was in the ruling party, he regarded the PDP as a well-organised political party, promising that they would hear from him soon over the request.

Some of the lawmakers with Elumelu during the visit were Gideon Gwani, Toby Okechukwu, Richard Kwande, Nicholas Ossai, Efe Afe, among others.

 

 

.Attempt ridiculous, PDP senators confused, says Presidency

 

The Presidency Wednesday described as ridiculous and headline grabbing stunt the impeachment move by opposition PDP senators against President Muhammadu Buhari that was overruled by Senate President Ahmad Lawan.

 

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu who criticised the attempt  also likened the walk out by the lawmakers to babyish antics.

 

A statement by Shehu read: “The performative and babyish antics of those senators staging a walk out notwithstanding, Senate President Ahmad Lawan’s refusal on Wednesday to entertain the ridiculous motion to impeach our President was quite appropriate and correct.

 

“Rather than making a mockery out of voters by trying to imitate what they see in America, the opposition would be well advised that their time would be better spent tackling the pressing issues Nigerians face, such as the current global cost of living crisis.

 

“Their continued failure to do so goes some way to explaining why they remain in opposition.

 

“In contrast, the President Muhammadu Buhari administration is committed to finding lasting solutions to the emerging security threats, including those left behind by the PDP in the South-South, the Northeast and throughout the federation.

 

“In the last 24 hours, two more Chibok girls were freed, in addition to the three brought home last week.

 

“These kinds of headline grabbing stunts for which the opposition is now well known serve no one, least of all their constituents.

 

“We would respectfully remind them that it is those same constituents that they were elected to serve, and are paid to do so with public money.

 

:We would welcome their collaboration in our efforts to solve the problems Nigerians face on a daily basis. No one is asking them to waste their time attempting to impeach a democratically elected President at the end of his second term – certainly not their constituents.

 

“They should ask themselves: do they want to be in government or do they want to be in the headlines? If they want to be in government they should start acting like it and stop undermining Nigerian voters”