By John Danjuma

THE recent threat by Nigeria’s upper legislative chamber to commence impeachment proceedings against Nigeria’s president, Mr. Muhammadu Buhari is nothing short of a ridiculous joke on the unassuming Nigerian populace, who may see this move as a positive step in the right direction, and a sign that the Senate is finally on the side of the people.

However, Biztellers can authoritatively reveal that neither the APC led Presidency nor the political watchers were amused let alone impressed by the move as they watch the senators storming out of a plenary session, claiming to be protesting against the President’s weakness in dealing with the worsening insecurity bedeviling the country, and that has crept into every geo-political zone of the country.

Biztellers investigations reveal that the Presidency strongly believe that the threat by the senators is just an empty charade to hoodwink members of the public into seeing them as an ally of the people, and this is going by the fact that the move was coming when the senate was almost at the verge of its yearly recess which usually lasts for two months, a period long enough for the president to deploy every means at his disposal into calming frayed nerves amongst his own party men and launching a counter and almost fatal attack at the opposition.

Another factor according to our source deep inside the presidency is that this is happening at a time many of the senators had already lost out in their return bid as more than 80 percent of the members of the 9th senate lost to retain their seat at the primary elections of their various political parties.

Hence, their claim that they were terribly dissatisfied with the high-level insecurity in the country does not hold water. The Senators across political parties, had towards the end of July, given President Muhammadu Buhari six weeks ultimatum to properly address worsening insecurity or face immediate impeachment.
The minority leader Philip Aduda had tried to raise a motion to that effect on the Senate floor but was frustrated by Senate President, Ahmed Lawan just before they embarked on this year’s recess.

However, Nigerian political watchers were also not impressed by this move. Some of them who spoke with this writer on the condition of anonymity recalled the fact that the insecurity in Nigeria had been there before the 9th senate was inaugurated a little more than 3years ago, thereby wondering why they are now just waking up from their slumber when it is almost too late, and the president has less than a year to finish is second term and handover to a new government.

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Another thought was that the reason for the senators seeming action was the fact that the insecurity situation in Nigeria was beginning to threaten the peace of the federal capital territory where they all resided and work, especially with recent threats from the bandits and terrorists to kidnap the person of the President himself, after they have shot severely and fatally at his convoy in Katsina, his home state, and attacked members of his brigade of guards, in Bwari area, on the outskirts of Abuja afterwards.

“All the while, when they were supposed to play their role as legislators, they had claimed to be on the same page with the executive only to turn around at the twilight of the President’s second tenure to start flying a kite that they know cannot even take off at the end.

To start with, the process of impeaching a president, especially one whose party retains control of both houses of the legislature is complex and not easy.

The removal of the President according to the Constitution must follow the following procedures:
Section 143 of the Constitution reads:

(1) The President or Vice-President may be removed from office in accordance with the provisions of this section.

(2) Whenever a notice of any allegation in writing signed by not less than one-third of the members of the National Assembly: –

(a) is presented to the President of the Senate;

(b) stating that the holder of the office of President or Vice-President is guilty of gross misconduct in the performance of the functions of his office, detailed particulars of which shall be specified, the President of the Senate shall within seven days of the receipt of the notice cause a copy thereof to be served on the holder of the office and on each member of the National Assembly, and shall also cause any statement made in reply to the allegation by the holder of the office to be served on each member of the National Assembly.

(3) Within fourteen days of the presentation of the notice to the President of the Senate (whether or not any statement was made by the holder of the office in reply to the allegation contained in the notice) each House of the National Assembly member shall resolve by motion without any debate whether or not the allegation shall be investigated.

(4) A motion of the National Assembly that the allegation be investigated shall not be declared as having been passed, unless it is supported by the votes of not less than two-thirds majority of all the members of each House of the National Assembly.

(5) Within seven days of the passing of a motion under the foregoing provisions, the Chief Justice of Nigeria shall at the request of the President of the Senate appoint a Panel of seven persons who in his opinion are of unquestionable integrity, not being members of any public service, legislative house or political party, to investigate the allegation as provide in this section.

(6) The holder of an office whose conduct is being investigated under this section shall have the right to defend himself in person and be represented before the Panel by legal practitioners of his own choice.

(7) A Panel appointed under this section shall –

(a) have such powers and exercise its functions in accordance with such procedure as may be prescribed by the National Assembly; and

(b) within three months of its appointment report its findings to each House of the National Assembly.

(8) Where the Panel reports to each House of the National Assembly that the allegation has not been proven, no further proceedings shall be taken in respect of the matter.

(9) Where the report of the Panel is that the allegation against the holder of the office has been proven and duly established, then within fourteen days of the receipt of the report, both the House and the Senate shall consider the report, and if by a resolution of both chambers supported by not less than two-thirds majority of all its members, the report of the Panel is adopted, then the holder of the office shall stand removed from office as from the date of the adoption of the report.

(10) No proceedings or determination of the Panel or of the National Assembly or any matter relating thereto shall be entertained or questioned in any court.

(11) In this section -“gross misconduct” means a grave violation or breach of the provisions of this Constitution or a misconduct of such nature as amounts in the opinion of the National Assembly to gross misconduct.”

Some political pundits have also opined that for senators to issue a threat, just as they were embarking on a six-week break amounts to a non-issue as the Presidency would have perfected its lobbying for the senators to drop their threat.
Not long after, some senators started denouncing the impeachment threat which Nigerians were made to believe was a collective decision

For instance, the Chairman Senate Committee on Information and National Orientation, Senator Danladi Sankara had dissociated himself from the alleged plot by some senators to impeach Senate President Dr. Ahmad Lawan in order to pave way for eventual impeachment proceedings against President Muhammadu Buhari.

Senator Sankara who is representing Jigawa North West in the upper legislative chamber of the National Assembly refuted claims by certain online news publications linking him to the plot by some senators to impeach the Senate President
In his reaction to the reports, he said at no time was he consulted or co-opted into such plan by the eleven other senators alleged to be masterminding the plot. He said “It is just the figment of the imagination of the online publications and the others who are linking me to such a move”
“I was present throughout the plenary sessions of last Tuesday and Wednesday, nobody approached me or sought my consent to join any move to impeach the Senate President or the President Muhammadu Buhari ”

According to him, what is required at this time is maturity and understanding of leaders and people to ensure that Nigeria overcome the challenges of insecurity and economic downturn.

He said, “It is very important for leaders to explore workable methods to address the issues of insecurity. It is not proper for us to further heat up the polity when we should put heads together to explore workable solutions to the issues of the economy and insecurity.
“It is a collective responsibility on the part of the leaders and the people ” Senator Sankara emphasized.

Senator Smart Adeyemi representing Kogi East on the other hand said it was the decision of the senate saying it is wrong to attribute it to the opposition

“It was a collective decision of the senate, to give an 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 sit down and start a discussion.

“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.”

According to him, when Sarduana was premier of the Northern region there was no discrimination, the Yorubas of Kogi and Kwara Forgot that they were Yoruba because there was no need to talk about their tribe as he was free and fair to everybody, Just like Awolowo was free and fair to everyone.

“There are people who see themselves as kings, my background as a journalist would not allow me to swallow bitter pills, I cannot see injustice and keep quiet. “I cannot see marginalization; our economy cannot be going down and I say I am happy. I am proud to be an APC man but that will not stop me from criticizing APC but that is not saying I condemn the party.

“Today Nigeria is in big trouble, our economy is nosediving at a very terrible speed, why is it so? How can anybody justify a nation that produces crude oil in trillions of volumes but imports finished product?”

Senator Alex Kadiri who represented Kogi East from 1999 to 2003 in the Senate described the recent impeachment threats against President Muhammadu Buhari as coming a little too late because of the many ‘idiots in the majority at the upper legislative chamber.
Senator Kadiri who spoke through a telephone interview with Biztellers, said the senators have reached a point where they are all now ashamed.

“Every election, every outcome of every election has an implication. If you put a lot of idiots in the majority, then they will behave idiotically to the end. “The day you vote the Assembly people, either state House of Assembly or National Assembly, the result you get has far reaching implications.

Senator Ahmad Lawn belongs to the party of the president, they are in the majority in the National Assembly, so you will expect that they will continue to protect the President for as long as it is possible for them to do so. That is the implication of their being in the majority.

“But they have reached a point now where everybody is ashamed. The opposition people are taking the bull by the horn now. I can assure you that the majority of APC members in the National Assembly will support them. They cannot say it now until it comes to voting.”

He said as Former chairman of the Senators Forum, he is still in touch with his colleagues, saying that “when the matter comes to voting in the National Assembly, those calling for the impeachment of the President will win, no amount of bribery can change it because the shame on them now, most of them have children and it will go in our history that when they saw the country crumbling they did nothing.

“The reason for their anger is there; the schools are closed, and the universities have not reopened in the past five months. My party sold nomination forms for N100m for those aspiring to be President. They collected twenty nine billion naira, almost the money ASUU is asking for in order to return to the classroom.

“Less than one quarter of the money individuals pay to the party. The same ruling party running this government, just to participate in the primaries not the election itself. Look at the jamboree during the APC and PDP convention in Abuja here, it was a national shame. “We have a government in place which sits and watch all these things happen and nothing is done to check it.
Look at the killings going on in the country, whereby Nigerians are killed like fowls, non-State actors have taken over some segments of this country unchallenged.

“They are approaching Abuja. recently they fought the soldiers at the roadblock near Zuma rock. Soldiers were killed, three days earlier soldiers were also killed on the Abuja-Kaduna road near Bwari.

Soldiers that belonged to the Presidential guard at the Presidency, are under attack in our nation’s capital, and our people seem helpless, nobody has been apprehended and nobody has been prosecuted, why would the senators not call for the impeachment of the man at the helm of affairs?

On whether he thinks the senators are on a vengeance mission he said,

“No, when you elect somebody into the State Assembly or the National Assembly his mandate is for four years. Anything they want to do they can do within the four years.

“If they want to extend their vengeance to anybody that is the person’s business. Okay If they remove the President how does that give them back their mandates?

“Was it Buhari that stopped them from getting the mandate or the people they represent?

“Let the truth be told that if there is a free and fair election today 90% of the people in the national Assembly would not come back including the leadership because they have disappointed the people, so it is not a question of vengeance, they just have to do their work, the government is run until their tenure ends.

“While they are still in the National Assembly they must act according to the constitution of the country.
The President has demonstrated his ‘unfitness’ for the job. Let us not pretend about it, it is my party.”

Senator Kadiri also indicated that the senators have done their best in engagement with the President, “In other climes even without the prodding from the National Assembly, or the trade unions or any CSO, the media ought to have highlighted the weaknesses in this government.

“It is the media that is supposed to have even chased them out of office not the National Assembly. There is nothing like vengeance, what is it, you mean the National Assembly should not do its work again because some of them lost out in the primary election?
“It is always the tradition, more than half of the people never come back, that does not mean they are no longer leaders in their respective places, they are!”

“A lot of things befuddle me in this country. When I was in the Senate, everybody knew me and where I stood on issues, and I still stand there today almost 20 years after I left the National Assembly.

“The National Assembly budgeted money for the military, but it is not the National Assembly that releases money to security. The money budgeted was released to the security operatives? Was the release lopsided? These are the questions to ask.

“Apart from some money used for military purposes, what of the University the former Chief of Army Staff built in Biu his hometown? What of the Air Force man who built something else in Bauchi? was that part of the security budget?

“There are many things wrong with this government. I voted to bring this man to power, I challenged my Brother Idris Wada who was a governor under PDP from my village, I voted him out of power but I am sad about what I am passing through. I regret voting for my party in 2015 and repeating the same mistake in 2019, thinking that there would be change.

“No, I am not happy. So don’t blame the military. Was the money voted for them all released to them? and if it was released was it used for the purposes for which it was budgeted?

“I don’t believe that building a University in Biu and another one in Bauchi are part of the military duties. Those are duties of the Ministry; it is that of the ministry of education.

“So, the monies used by the former Chief of Army Staff, and Air staff was it money from the Ministry of defense or is it that the Ministry of Education decided to establish those universities in their homes? We really don’t ask questions.”

It will be recalled that the Presidency in its official reaction to the move by the Senators had responded harshly dismissing the move as performative and babyish.

Mr. Garuba Shehu, spokesman to President Buhari made this known in his reaction. “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,” Mr. Shehu wrote.

“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. He enthused.