Politics
Senators Walk Out On Lawan, Want Buhari Impeached
Some senators walked out on the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, on Wednesday, after he allegedly refused the Minority Leader, Senator Philip Aduda, to allow them to lead the motion on the impeachment of the President Muhammadu Buhari.
Aduda and some other senators of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) then walked out of the plenary.
It was learnt that some lawmakers that were displeased with the worsening security situation in the country had threatened to impeach the President.
It was learnt that at the commencement of the plenary on Tuesday, the lawmakers questioned the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, on why the issue of insecurity was not in the Order Paper.
Miffed by the development, the Senate Minority leader, raised a point of order, calling for deliberation on issues discussed at the closed-door session.
He said, “Mr. President, I raised this point of order to bring to the front burner, issues deliberated upon at the closed-door session.
“Resolution made by all senators at the closed-door session which lasted for two hours was to further deliberate on it in plenary and arrive at a resolution to give President Buhari ultimatum on an urgent basis to stop the worsening security situation or face impeachment.”
To gauge the issue, the Senate President quickly interrupted him by saying that his point of order fell flat on his face since he didn’t discuss it with him.
He thereafter instructed the leader of the Senate to proceed with items on the Order Paper.
In a response to the development, all senators across the opposition parties led by the Minority Leader, Philip Tanimu Aduda, stormed out of the chamber chanting “All we are saying, Buhari must go, Nigeria must survive, Ahmad Lawan should follow.”
The protesting senators including Adamu Bulkachuwa (All Progressives Congress – Bauchi North) later gathered at the Senate Press Centre to disclose what transpired during the closed-door session.
Speaking on behalf of the senators, the Minority Leader, Philip Aduda, said their anger was fueled by the refusal of the Senate President to follow resolutions taken by senators across party lines at the closed-door session.
He said, “We are here to tell Nigerians that as senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, we are disappointed with the way the worsening security situation across the country is being handled.
“We held a closed-door session for two hours, where it was resolved that the issue will be deliberated upon in plenary with an agreed resolution to give President Muhamnadu Buhari six weeks to address it or face impeachment by both chambers of the National Assembly.”
Aduda added, “Our walking out of the chamber is to express our disappointment in the way the matter was later handled by the Senate President.
“President Buhari has been given all he wanted in terms of adequate funding of the security agencies but nothing to show for it. He needs to shape up or ship out.”
Aside from all the PDP senators who participated in the walkout, other senators like Enyinnaya Abaribe (All Progressives Grand Alliance -Abia South), Ibrahim Shekarau ( New Nigeria Peoples Party – Kano Central), Francis Onyewuchi (Imo East), etc, also joined.
The former two-term governor went down memory lane to recall how they founded the APC but were used and dumped.
In his words, “…those calling on us to join APC, we have agreed to join the APC but on clear agreement that protects and respects the interest of my party, NNPP and my political movement, Kwankwasiyya. No state where you go that you don’t have NNPP and Kwankwasiyya. We have gubernatorial candidates, senatorial candidates and others.
“We are ready to join APC under strong conditions and promises. We will not allow anyone to use us and later dump us.
“We were among the founding fathers of the APC and endured significant persecution from various security agencies while challenging the previous administration.
“Yet when the party assumed power, we received no recognition or appreciation for our sacrifices, simply because we didn’t originate from their original faction.
“We are not in a hurry to leave the NNPP; we are enjoying and have peace of mind. But if some want a political alliance that would not disappoint us like in the past, we are open to an alliance. Even if it is the PDP that realised their mistakes, let’s enter an agreement that will be made public,” Sen. Kwankwaso stated.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has dismissed long-standing claims that he once sought to extend his tenure in office, insisting he never pursued a third term.
Speaking at the Democracy Dialogue organised by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra, Ghana, Chief Obasanjo said there is no Nigerian, living or dead, who can truthfully claim he solicited support for a third term agenda.
“I’m not a fool. If I wanted a third term, I know how to go about it. And there is no Nigerian, dead or alive, that would say I called him and told him I wanted a third term,” the former president declared.
Chief Obasanjo argued that he had proven his ability to secure difficult national goals, citing Nigeria’s debt relief during his administration as a much greater challenge than any third term ambition.
“I keep telling them that if I could get debt relief, which was more difficult than getting a third term, then if I wanted a third term, I would have got it too,” he said.
He further cautioned against leaders who overstay in power, stressing that the belief in one’s indispensability is a “sin against God.”
On his part, former President Goodluck Jonathan said any leader who failed to perform would be voted out of office if proper elections were conducted.
Describing electoral manipulation as one of the biggest threats to democracy in Africa, he said unless stakeholders come together to rethink and reform democracy, it may collapse in Africa.
He added that leaders must commit to the kind of democracy that guarantees a great future for the children where their voices matter.
He said: “Democracy in Africa continent is going through a period of strain and risk collapse unless stakeholders came together to rethink and reform it. Electoral manipulation remains one of the biggest threats in Africa.
“We in Africa must begin to look at our democracy and rethink it in a way that works well for us and our people. One of the problems is our electoral system. People manipulate the process to remain in power by all means.
“If we had proper elections, a leader who fails to perform would be voted out. But in our case, people use the system to perpetuate themselves even when the people don’t want them.
“Our people want to enjoy their freedoms. They want their votes to count during elections. They want equitable representation and inclusivity. They want good education. Our people want security. They want access to good healthcare. They want jobs. They want dignity. When leaders fail to meet these basic needs, the people become disillusioned.”
The dialogue was also attended by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Touray, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Sokoto diocese of Catholic Church among others who all stressed that democracy in Africa must go beyond elections to include accountability, service, and discipline.
The Rivers State House of Assembly yesterday resumed plenary session after a six-month state of emergency imposed on the state by President Bola Tinubu elapsed on Wednesday midnight.
President Bola Tinubu had lifted the emergency rule on September 17, with the Governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the state assembly asked to resume duties on September 18.
The plenary was presided over by the Speaker of the House, Martins Amaewhule, at the conference hall located within the legislative quarters in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
The conference hall has served as the lawmakers’ temporary chamber since their official chamber at the assembly complex on Moscow Road was torched and later pulled down by the state government.
The outgone sole administrator of the state, Ibok-Ete Ibas, could not complete the reconstruction of the assembly complex as promised.
Recall that on March 18, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers following the prolonged political standoff between Fubara and members of the House of Assembly loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
He subsequently suspended the governor, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and lawmakers for six months and installed a sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.), to manage the state’s affairs.
The decision sparked widespread controversy, with critics accusing the president of breaching the Constitution.
However, others hailed the move as a necessary and pragmatic step.
