Posted by Yusuf Alli and Sam Akpe with agency report on
The crisis of confidence in The Presidency took a twist on Monday following indications that impeachment proceeding may be initiated against the Vice-president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
The crisis of confidence in The Presidency took a twist on Monday following indications that impeachment proceeding may be initiated against the Vice-president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
Investigations by our correspondents showed that The Presidency was under pressure to remove Abubakar.
A source said, 'The President's declaration on Sunday night indicated that he has no confidence in Abubakar again.
'To avoid grinding the government machinery to a halt with political bickering, the vice-president has to step aside. That is the most honourable thing to do.
'All I can tell you is that Abubakar's days are numbered in office, no matter how formidable his political structure may be."
Responding to a question, the source added, 'If you look at the pattern since 1999, once the President loses confidence in a public officer, he goes.
'This is not a matter of FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) report. It is about the management of government without political distraction."
Although the source was not forthcoming on details of how the vice-president will be eased out, it was learnt that consultation has begun on why Abubakar should leave.
But the vice-president is being prodded by some of his aides not to leave office.
'They (the vice-president and the President) were elected together. Nobody can remove him," an aide to Abubakar was quoted as saying.
The aide described the plan to remove his boss as 'a wild dream."
He said, 'The process of removing the President or the vice-president is cumbersome and difficult to meet.
'The vice-president enjoys the confidence of the National Assembly, which can only remove him from office.
'You should remember that once the National Assembly removes him, no court can question it. And it is only a foolish leader that will sit idly to be removed."
When contacted on the alleged bid to impeach Abubakar, the Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, said, 'No comment."
As at 8:45pm, it was learnt that Abubakar had been consulting with his aides on the next line of action.
A source said, 'While some of the aides wanted outright response to Obasanjo's comments, others urged the vice-president to bid his time.
'I can tell you that Abubakar's camp is back on the drawing board. Just watch out."
A reaction which was purportedly expected from Abubakar's camp was put on hold for what a source described as a 'strategic reason."
This is the first time in the nation's history that the second citizen is being threatened with removal from office.
Section 143 (1-11) of the 1999 Constitution provides for the removal of either the President or the vice-president.
The section reads:
'The President or vice-president may be removed from office in accordance with the provisions of this section.
'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.
'Within 14 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 shall resolve by motion without any debate whether or not the allegation shall be investigated.
'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.
'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 provided in this section.
'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.
'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.
'Where the panel reports to each House of the National Assembly that the allegation has not been proved, no further proceedings shall be taken in respect of the matter.
'Where the report of the panel is that the allegation against the holder of the office has been proved, then within 14 days of the receipt of the report, each House of the National Assembly shall consider the report, and if by a resolution of each House of the National Assembly 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.
'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."
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited has denied any business relationship with a United States telecom firm, iGates, allegedly linked to a meeting with Atiku.
The firm was said to have presented a proposal to Atiku to speed up its broadband technology.
The spokesman of NITEL, Mr. Tayo Ekundayo, said the company had no previous deal with the U.S. outfit and had not met any of its representatives.
'We do not know the company and have nothing to do with it, and the broadband high speed they are talking about is what we are exploring with new facilities," he was quoted by the News Agency of Nigeria as saying.
Ekundayo, who said that he had been receiving calls on the issue, explained that 'the only U.S. outfit NITEL has a contract with is Motorola."
Also on Monday, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Works, Idris Kuta, blamed the face-off between Obasanjo and Abubakar on their desire to remain in office beyond 2007.
Abubakar, according to him, is sandwitched between- ambition to become President in 2007 and loyalty to Obasanjo's ambition.
"Obasanjo on the other hand is trying to scheme his way into extending his tenure, so there is no way the two of them can get on well, they have to fight," he said.
Kuta who described the raid on the vice-president's home by the FBI as an insult on Nigeria, said the former Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (rtd), and Abubakar owed it a duty to Nigerians to ask Obasanjo pointedly if he was staying in office beyond 2007.
"They (Babangida and Abubakar) made us to support him, they should also go and get us an answer," he said.
Condemning the invasion of the Abubakar's home, Kuta said Nigeria must demand and receive apologies from the American Government.
"It is an insult on the Nigerian nation, because I cannot imagine that the vice-president of a country not big or as populous as Nigeria, will have a home in one country, and the government of that country will break all diplomatic norms and go into the house to go and search, no matter what they were looking for, particularly when that person was not around during the time of the search.
The PUNCH, Tuesday, August 30, 2005