Lawmakers behind the impeachment threat issued to President Muhammadu Buhari have promised to firm up the plot. But given the antecedents of the National Assembly in the current dispensation, how far can these lawmakers go? KUNLE ODEREMI asks.
President Muhammadu Buhari has faced threats of impeachment by the National Assembly at least four times since he assumed office in 2015. The figure does not capture other occasions of the discreet moves made by groups of members of the separate chambers of the legislature: Senate and the House of Representatives to garner support towards invoking Section 143 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). The section sets out the procedure and due process that should lead to the removal from office a sitting president found culpable of gross misconduct, abuse of office and other forms of constitutional infractions.
In the past, those threats of impeachment were initiated by a motley crowd of lawmakers, with those elected on the ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) forming the springboard. Then, the fundamental issues of their disagreement was over the leadership style of the president, perceived disregard for the principle of separation of powers among the three arms of government (executive, legislature and the judiciary), as well as alleged infractions over appropriations.
The change of guard in the leadership of the National Assembly, after the outcome of the 2019 general election, altered the phase of the cold war as the core challenges that preceded the advent of the APC administration in 2016 still subsist. Resurgence of all forms of criminality and brigandage has aggravated the economy that has become comatose, while sleaze especially in high quarters stares all in the face. Most frightening, however, is the siege laid across the country by terrorists, who appear to have created some ungovernable space and curtail seamless movements and legitimate transactions by millions of law-abiding citizens.
The primary duty of government is to guarantee the safety of lives and property of the citizens. Increasing threats to the sanctity of lives by bandits, insurgents and terrorists, coupled with the apparently helplessness of the Nigerian State has led to the advocacy of self-help by other arms of government and concerned individuals and groups. The aggravated security situation also underlines the serious worries being expressed by the international community, with some countries frequently issuing travel advisories to their citizens in Nigeria, even as some Nigerian leaders, including former and serving governors, as well as elder statesmen stepped the advocacy for foreign mercenaries to complement the efforts of the Nigerian Armed Forces to prosecute the war on terror.
Matters arising
Security alert issued by the NSCDC that ISWAP planned massive attacks across the country; claim that the Directorate of State service (DSS) submitted 44 reports before the recent invasion of the correctional centre attack by terrorists and the laying ambush by terrorists for the Brigade of Guard further brought to the fore the despicable state of security in the country. With Abuja being the seat of government, the lawmakers perhaps felt it was time to, again, raise the red flag at the executive arm of government on the insecurity, The six-week ultimatum issued by them to President Muhammadu Buhari will lapse by the second week of September when campaigns for the general election is expected to commence.
All motion, no movement?
Despite government claim that Boko Haram had been degraded and decimated, the level of insecurity has become scary. It had led to a number of questions because of the funding to boost the fight against the hardened criminals. Sustained agitation necessitated the replacement of service chiefs on a couple of times in the bid to inject fresh blood and ideas into the national security architecture. The expectation was that with the procurement of Tucano jets from the United States as well as sundry military hardware from other countries, the government could restore security of lives and property.
There has also been more frequent meetings of the national security council and emergency meetings summoned by the president to debrief heads of security agencies in the country. Each of those crucial meetings produced promises of renewed hope on security issues. Many have decried the failure of intelligence for the killings and advocated deployment of more modern technology to fight crime. Besides, whereas the government has consistently promised to deal decisively with ‘sponsors; of the heinous crimes whom it claimed to have their list, it has not demonstrated the political will to go the full hog. The authorities had equally said one of the reasons behind the aggressive drive on the national identification was meant to check insecurity in order to track the terrorist and their sponsors.
In the wake of the Owo church massacre, a senior advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, proffered a few measures that could stem the tide that has continued to spread across the country. The horrendous just was witnessed in Ondo State when scores of persons were killed by terrorists, sparked spontaneous anger due allegations that the security system seem compromised. Falana, a renowned pro-democracy and rights activist, was poignant on the way out of the conundrum:
“It is common knowledge that every country involved in the prosecution of war on terror is required to train security personnel and acquire adequate security gadgets to protect the people. Therefore, the Federal Government should ensure that the nation’s airports, trains, buses, courts, schools, malls, churches, mosques, banks and other places are provided with screening machines and CCTV cameras. As a matter of urgency, the federal government and the various state governments should promptly act on intelligence reports complied by the state security service and other security agencies.”
Global concern
In one of the most recent advisory to its citizens in Nigeria, United Kingdom called for extra vigilance from them. It warned of looming resurgence of terrorist attack in Nigeria, urging its citizens to avoided crowded spots especially in perceived black spots across Nigeria. Part of the advisory read: “Most attacks are conducted by Boko Haram or Islamic State West Africa (ISWA) occur in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states in the North-East. There have also been significant attacks in other states, including in Gombe, Kano, Kaduna, Plateau, Bauchi and Taraba states. Between May and July 2022. ISWA have conducted a number of attacks in Kogi, Niger, and in the Federal Capital Territory. Further attacks are likely….”
It is also recalled that a security alert by the Nigerian government issued in April this year warned that the terrorists had become more daring. The governor of Ondo even declared that they had occupied the forests across the country, just as other leaders warned that the criminals lay ambush at will on the highways, abducting people for ransom.
The spate of insecurity informs the retired Army, Navy and Air Force Officers Association of Nigeria to join other well-meaning elders in advocating that Nigerians defend themselves against Boko Haram since insecurity has been turned into a business venture. Its national president, Major General Alexander Shlbwala wondered why Nigerians should turn insecurity into a business. His view came amidst reports that there are said to be hundreds of cells and hideouts of terrorists in the country. And this belief lends credence to what a governor suggested as a decisive military offensive on such targets. Governor Nasir el-Rufai, of Kahuna State, to be precisely, called for the bombing of such terrorists’ camp.
He stated: “We know where their camps are; we have the maps; we know everything. We listen to their conversion on the phone sometimes. We know what they (terrorists) are planning. We get the reports.” Retired Col Hassan Stan-Labo, who is a former Army intelligence officer, also finds it explicable that Nigeria could find itself at a crossroads due to insecurity, despite the success of its military personnel in foreign operations. His words: ”I know what the Nigeria armed forces can do but unfortunately for one reason or the other, we are not measuring up to expectations. We have got what it takes to crush the terrorists. As a country, with a strong defence force, having actually equipped your infantry, you go out there and crush the enemy. That is what I expect from Nigeria; we did it Liberia, we did it in Sierra Leone…”
Impeachment threat
The immediate response of the presidency to the impeachment threat was tardy. Maybe, with the benefit of similar situations in the last six years, the authorities felt the lawmakers were only playing to the gallery. And some analysts hinged the attitude of the presidency to the fragility of the alliance that was formed to lead the current exercise. A few figures, who defected from the PDP and the APC, form part of the arrowheads of the current coalition of lawmakers pushing for the impeachment of the president. Feeling cheated at the primaries, they had moved to the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) to seek re-election tickets for the 2023 elections. The belief in certain circles is that the marriage of convenience could soon collapse.
There is also the issue of timing of the impeachment threat by the lawmakers against President Buhari. While some claim that those behind the current move were only playing politics ahead of the general elections, others claimed that the lawmakers could not absolve themselves from the predicament Nigeria has found itself at the moment.
But the two schools of thought were unanimous on the allegation that the National assembly has been lackadaisical in taking decisive steps based on the constitutional role to stave off crisis over the years. In the views of the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dumebi Kachikwu, the National Assembly is complicit in the failure government in the country, hence the deplorable state of affairs.
He said: “I was very amused to hear some senators and members from the lower house call for the president to be impeached. This is a self-serving call. The same people who have refused to do their jobs in the last three years have just woken up to realise that the president should be impeached. What exactly has happened today that is different from what has been happening since President Buhari was sworn in seven years ago for the second term? Are the attacks today any different? Are the deaths less or more meaningful. Is there any life worth more than the other? Are they reacting now because Abuja is threatened? The National Assembly is complicit in the failure of this government so they should ask their leadership to resign before calling on President Buhari to resign.”
While many say past experience still haunts the legislators in spite of the current stark realities in the country, a few of those behind the move are confident that the situation would be taken to a logical end this time. They claim to have done their homework very well and certain about gathering the necessary one-third majority required to serve a notice of impeachment on the president. Senator Francis Fadahunsi is one of such lawmakers in the forefront of the latest threat to impeach the president. His optimism is anchored on what he explained as the near consensus by a preponderance of lawmakers on the project.
But he gave a caveat: “If the current consensus does not suffer asphyxiation. Remember I moved this motion two years ago that this president could offer nothing and that he should step aside. But the APC then, floating in the Atlantic Ocean didn’t understand what I was saying. Now that the dangerous Atlantic Ocean is sweeping them and they have overtaken even Abuja, they are gradually seeing reasons.
“We decided at a closed-door session that an impeachment notice should be passed on him, but because somebody is still busy trying to protect his job, it was not possible. Today, during the executive meeting of all, all of us agreed that the man should be served an impeachment notice. Almost all the APC senators conceded that the man should be served, excerpt one. By the time we come back, that is if all of us will come back, that is, if all of us are not inflicted by the insecurity, we would all come together, regardless of our political affiliations and ask that he should ho,” Fadahunsi said.
A US-based Nigerian legal practitioner, Mr Silas Owolabi, expressed doubts on the lawmakers being able to push through the latest impeachment threat against Mr President because of lethargy and narrow political interests that charcacterise parry politics, coupled with ethno-religious and regional sentiments in the country.
He added: “There are problems in the country but because of the ‘Zombie’ nature of our system, it may not be realistic. However, a situation where attacks are being carried out against the high end security organisations, then, who is safe?”
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The PDP spokesman recalled how the opposition party had on various occasions alerted that the APC government had ceded sovereignty over a large portion of our country to terrorists, “many of whom were imported into our country by the APC.”
He further stated: “From the video, in a brazen manner, terrorists as non-state actors boldly showed their faces, boasting, admitting and confirming their participation in the Kuje Prison break, some of whom were former prison inmates who were either jailed or awaiting trial for their previous terrorism act against our country.
“Nigerians can equally recall the confession by the Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai that the APC government knows the plans and whereabouts of the terrorists but failed to act.
According to Ologunagba, about 18,000 Nigerians have been killed by terrorists between 2020 and 2022 “as the criminals continue to be emboldened by the failures and obvious complicity of the APC and to which the PDP had always drawn attention.”
“This is not politics; this is about humanity and leadership, which leadership sadly and unfortunately is missing in our country at this time,” he said.
The PDP added that it is appalled by “the lame response by the apparently helpless, clueless and deflated Buhari Presidency, wherein it told an agonizing nation that President Buhari “has done all and even more than what was expected of him as Commander in Chief by way of morale, material and equipment support to the military…”
“This is a direct admission of incapacity and failure by the Buhari Presidency and the APC. At such a time, in other climes, the President directly leads the charge and takes drastic measures to rescue and protect his citizens.
“In time of adversity, the President transmutes into Consoler-in-Chief to give hope and succour to the citizens. Painfully, Nigeria does not have a President who cares and can stand as Consoler-in-Chief to the citizens.
“It has now become very imperative for Nigerians to take note and realize that the only solution to this unfortunate situation is to hold the APC government accountable. We must come together as a people, irrespective of our political, ethnic and religious affiliations to resist the fascist-leaning tendencies of the APC administration.
Ologunagba called for an urgent meeting of the National Council of State to advise on the way to go over the nation’s worsening insecurity.
“Our nation must not fall. The resilient Nigerian spirit and ‘can-do- attitude’ must be rekindled by all to prevail on the President to immediately and without further delay, accede to the demand by the PDP and other well-meaning Nigerians to convene a special session of the National Council of State to find a lasting solution since the President has, in his own admission, come to his wit’s end,” the PDP spokesman declared.
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