Posted by ABIODUN ADELAJA and LERE OJEDOKUN, Abuja on
PLOT to commence impeachment proceedings against President Olusegun Obasanjo further thickened yesterday in the House of Representatives with 61 more lawmakers reportedly joining the campaign. This brings the number to 161.
PLOT to commence impeachment proceedings against President Olusegun Obasanjo further thickened yesterday in the House of Representatives with 61 more lawmakers reportedly joining the campaign. This brings the number to 161.
Reacting to the latest impeachment moves, however, the President said he has done "absolutely nothing wrong or unconstitutional that could warrant his removal from office.
Consequently he stated that he would not be distracted from carrying out his lawful and constitutional duties by what he called "misguided initiatives or actions.
Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode in a statement explained that there was no basis for the House to move for Obasanjo's impeachment.
However yesterday the technical committee raised by the lower chamber to compile impeachable offences against the president increased Obasanjo's "sins" to 15.
Both Hon. Bashir Madabo and Emmanuel Arigbe-Osula who confirmed the increase in the number of federal legislators itching to commence impeachment proceedings against president expressed optimism that the lower chamber would soon raise the 240 signatures required to embark on the exercise.
The House requires a minimum of 240 out of its present 360 membership to commence impeachment proceedings against the president.
Although both federal legislators are still holding the names of those who have so far signed up to impeach Obasanjo, more members of the lower chamber have thrown their weight behind the exercise.
While Hon. Usman Bugaje said Nadabo was speaking the mind of majority of the federal legislators, Hon. Haruna Yerima said he was prepared to endorse the impeachment process if approached.
"I have not been approached to sign anything. But if they do, you know me now, I will not hesitate to sign," Dr Yerima declared.
While urging federal legislators not to back out of the impeachment move, Hon. Arigbe-Osula said the exercise is intended to strengthen Nigeria's democracy.
Alleging that two top presidential aides were Obasanjo's children, the federal lawmaker stated that the President has turned the country into his personal estate.
Nadabo who is the arrow head of the plot told Daily Champion that he is resolute in the campaign.
I am a radical. I can do anything in this country. I am not an errand boy to anybody. I won my elections on merit. I was twice elected as local government chairman and I am now a member of the House of Reps." He stated.
On his part, Fani-Kayode said apart from the fact that details of alleged "offences" committed by the president were yet to be made public, he said the impeachment threat did not enjoy the support of the overwhelming number of members or the leadership of the lower house.
"The details of these so-called offences have not, up until now, been made public by those that are asserting them. Despite these allegations, we wish to assure the Nigerian people that there is no basis for such a course of action and that such an initiative does not enjoy the support of the overwhelming number of members, or indeed the leadership of the federal house", he said.
Chief Fani-Kayode assured that President Obasanjo would "continue to work closely with and reach out to members of the National Assembly and its leadership."
He also expressed the confidence of the executive in the majority of members of both the Senate and House of Representatives, while acknowledging that "it is our collective and mutual desire to continue to work closely together with them in order to bring the dividends of democracy to the Nigerian people."
He urged the citizenry to remain calm and not to be unduly alarmed by what he called "the actions of mainly members of the opposition parties."
"We, therefore, urged the Nigerian people to remain calm and not be duly alarmed by the actions and allegations of these few members of the House, who are, in the main, members of the opposition parties," he said.
Plot by some members of the House of Representatives to impeach the president, it would be recalled, had thickened last Tuesday as 100 of the 360 members of the Lower House, have allegedly endorsed the exercise.
All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) legislator, representing Katsina, Hon. Bashir Nadabo, who confirmed the move, said however that the number of lawmakers' signatories required to commence the process would soon reach 240.
A team of lawyers, Hon Nadabo said has so far compiled about 12 impeachable offences against President Obasanjo.
Restating the resolve of the House to execute the action to the letter, Hon. Nadabo said the mistakes made by the former speaker, Alhaji Ghali Na'Abba in prosecuting the impeachment plot would not crop up this time around.
Meanwhile House of Representatives has chided Special Assistant to President on Public Affairs, Mr Femi Fani-Kayode for describing moves to impeach President Olusegun Obasanjo as "minor irritation" and "Infantile nonsense".
House spokesman Hon. Abike Dabiri who described Fani-Kayode as very unmannerly boy warned his unguarded utterances was capable of deepening the frosty executive-legislature relationship.
In the official reaction of the House to Fani-Kayode's statements, Hon. Dabiri said federal lawmakers frown at the presidential aides choice of words assuring however that they will continue to conduct their affairs in a mature manner despite Fani-Kayode's outbursts.
"With people like Femi-Fani-Kayode describing members of the House as infantile nonsense, you know I would described him as very rude and unmannerly."
"I have noticed that although we have some grievances against Mr President on the way he is treating the House, we would not use such derogatory language for him and we would not degenerate to Femi Fan-Kayode's level."
"I believe that using such words for members of parliament will only aggravate the situation. Femi Fani-Kayode is himself the person to be described as infantile nonsense and I will just call him a rude and unmannerly boy."
"And I say boy because he is not display the maturity of a man. This House will conduct its activities with all maturity," Hon Dabiri stated