Yesterday, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) backed calls for President Mohammadu Bukhari to be toppled, warning that Nigeria cannot survive under the regime for another two years. During the AIT Kakaaki program, forum spokesman Hakim Baba-Ahmed urged members of the National Assembly to initiate the impeachment process against the president, noting that lawmakers need to be aware that the country is in dire straits.
Baba-Ahmed, who stressed that the challenges that stand in the way of the country are more than just talking and making statements, said now is the time to act.
He said, “Those with constitutional responsibility need to realize that the country is in a difficult situation and do something other than just talk and promise. The second option is for citizens to get together and decide to do something.
“A third possibility is for leaders who fail to recognize the fact that they are the problem and step back because they clearly have nothing to offer in terms of leadership,” he said.
“Or, as our democratic system provides, those responsible for the overthrow must prosecute those who failed. If the president fails, he must be impeached.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have a National Assembly that seems to have some patriotism and concern outside of guerrilla politics to realize that when this roof falls, it also falls over its head. Party affiliation is so strong that People we are elected and sent to Abuja in the belief that they serving the president, not the Nigerian people.
Typically, legislators need to consult government archives, understand areas where the president has failed, understand areas where there is no clear evidence that he will do anything, and refer to the Constitution which states that the overall goal lies in this. “The government must take care of the citizens and take care of their welfare,” said Baba-Ahmed.
In early February, the National Assembly asked President Buhari to face him due to uncertain circumstances. However, the President did not allow the request. Under Section 143 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, the National Assembly can recall the President if he is unable to carry out his duties effectively.
The chances of impeachment of the president are slim, however, because the ruling party, the All Progressive Congress (APC), controls both houses of the National Assembly. Moreover, the previous impeachment threats had failed. In 2020, the PDP group led by Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers) is threatening the impeachment process because of the uncertainty and corruption in the country. Never.
The Buhari Media Organization (BMO) has rejected calls by the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) to indict President Buhari for the dire security situation in the country. The chairman of the BMO, Niyi Akinsiju, believes that such a position of the NEF is a call for anarchy.
Akinsiju, chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), said the NEF’s position was politically motivated, adding that those calling for the impeachment of the president were not good for the country.
He noted: “You have a right to your own opinion on the president’s work. However, we insist that the majority of Nigerians who agree that the president lives up to their expectations will not allow impeachment.”
“The president is at the forefront of safeguarding the lives and property of Nigerians. There is no country in the world that is not addressing security challenges or anything like that. Even the developed countries of the world are not being liberated.
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“The president is working around the clock to address Nigerian concerns on this issue. The security architecture is changing to meet the latest challenges, especially from the southeast geopolitical zone.”
However, the House of Representatives special commission for national security called for the memorandum to be presented at the planned security summit. The four-day summit is scheduled for May 24-28.
The deadline for submitting applications is May 20, according to a statement by DPR Secretary Cinedu Acubueze. The National Security Special Commission was formed on March 17 by Chairman Femi Gbajabiamila.
According to the statement, the memorandum should focus on solutions that focus on “local and community security options, strategic kinetic national security, and non-military and non-kinetic security”.
This is not the first time lawmakers have held a security summit under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. The Senate held a security meeting in 2018, and another meeting occurred 14 months later in 2019.
The latter comes amid increasing killings and general insecurity across the country. Last month, the House of Commons asked the President to declare a state of security emergency while lawmakers passed 11 more security resolutions.
Opposition lawmaker Dachung Bagos (PDP, Plato) said lawmakers would consider impeachment if nothing changed after the summit.
Meanwhile, the Ado-Ekiti branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), supported Afe Babalola University founder, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe in his recent calls for a summit to address Babalola’s ongoing uncertainty and other challenges, put the hatred of the state.
Speaking in his honor at last week’s 10th NBA public lecture, Babalola lamented the wave of uncertainty in the country and called for a summit called the “Meeting of Hope” to discuss successful solutions to prevent the nation from slipping into anarchy.
However, an online report stated that the legal icon challenged the federal government to propose the summit. As a result, the NBA rejected the report, which hinted the right-wing icon was looking to destabilize or overthrow President Bukhari’s government.
NBA President Adeemi Adevumi said in a statement on Monday in Ado-Ekiti that Babalola was patriotic and called for a summit because of the precarious situation in the country.
He said: “The Nigerian Bar Association condemns this criminal malicious publication and urges every Nigerian to ignore and disapprove of its contents but to appreciate patriotic and nationalist actions by advising Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, to restore hope for Nigerians.
“This publication is an attempt to make Nigerians believe negative and false news as to the real reason for Aare Afe Babalola’s call to restore hope to Nigerians amidst the many challenges it faces.
“We wonder how the most nationalist proposal to summon all the surviving former Nigerian presidents, National Assembly leadership, governors, religious leaders and traditional frontline rulers, and civil society organizations crafted in unrivaled good faith, now becomes a conspiracy to help.” Remove government from power.
