Rising above partisan politics or personal relationships, over 80 senators across political parties and a majority of House of Representatives members has agreed to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari, if the growing insecurity across the nation persisted beyond six weeks, being the ultimatum handed the government before the legislature shut down till September 20.
The decision was taken after their respective closed-sessions before the commencement of plenary, presided over by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, who also charged the security agencies to do more in order to stop the terrorists and the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Idris Wase.
But the presidency in response reacted to the reported move by the Senate to commence impeachment moves against President Buhari, and advised the senators to stop playing to the gallery like their counterparts in the United States, otherwise, staging a walkout was performative and babyish.
At the same time, the federal government, has said it was currently working round the clock to bring the country’s security situation under control.
The Senators, at the executive session, agreed to give Buhari a six-week ultimatum to address the issue or risk impeachment, and also maintained that all resolutions passed earlier on how to improve the security situation in Nigeria must be implemented immediately by the Buhari-led administration.
The senators, who then agreed at the session that the Senate President should allow members to debate the issue at plenary, however, threatened to impeach Lawan if he failed to cooperate with them.
Besides, about seven other senators, led by Opeyemi Bamidele from Ekiti State and Gabriel Suswam from Benue, were also said to have shared Lawan’s sentiment, given the present circumstance.
That, nonetheless, the senators, on the sidelines, were not clear with the mode the impeachment should take, knowing that the south/north dichotomy was still a critical factor in the balance of power in the country.
They, therefore, resolved that the matter would be part of the issues to be considered after the six weeks ultimatum, to know whether they would impeach either Buhari alone or send him away with his deputy, Professor Yemi Osinbajo.
Trouble, however, started at plenary proper, when the order paper was not altered to accommodate the public debate on the issue at plenary.
Senate Minority Leader, Philip Aduda (FCT), protested the worsening security situation and demanded an open debate as agreed upon at the closed session.
Rising under a point of order not cited, he requested the chamber to give a six-week ultimatum to President Buhari to address the issue of insecurity or face impeachment.
“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,” he said.
Delivering a ruling on Aduda’s point of order, Lawan faulted the lawmaker for failing to put forward his request in accordance with the upper chamber’s rules, which regulate its proceedings.
According to him, “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.”
Lawan, thereafter, instructed the leader of the Senate to proceed with items on the order paper.
Although in closing his remarks, Lawan told security agencies in the country to be alert and do more to stop the heightening spate insecurity across states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) perpetrated by terrorists.
