Throwback: PDP Reps caucus calls on Nigerians, lawmakers to evoke Sec 143 to compel Buhari to vacate office
…to commence impeachment process against Buhari for gross incompetence
…breach of Section 14(2) (b)
… from 2015-20-22 Buhari has collected more security allocations far higher than what was released between 1999-2015
Peeved by the lingering insecurity in Nigeria due to the unchecked nefarious activities of terrorists, kidnappers, bandits across Nigeria, the House of Representatives Peoples Democratic Party PDP caucus had on December 20th, 2020 called on all Nigerians to urge their representatives to evoke Section 143 of the Constitution to compel President Muhammadu Buhari to vacate office.
Members of the PDP caucus then were called names and even moved to suspend members of the caucus.
The caucus had gone to court to seek redress and got a definitive judgment in their favour.
Recall that the House leader Hon Ado Doguwa had made scathing remarks threatening hell and fire that the caucus leader and other members would be sent out of Parliament.
The caucus had came up with a #NigerianlivesMatter# and this did not go down well with members who felt otherwise.
Today as it stands, the PDP caucus has been vindicated following the moves of both NASS minority lawmakers demanding for the impeachment of Buhari due to his gross incompetence.
Read the position of the caucus then below:
Briefing journalists then, the leader of the PDP Caucus in the House of Representatives, Rep Kingsley Chinda did not mince words when he asserted that :
“We call on Nigerians across tribe, religion and political party for the upteempth time to compel their Representatives and Senators to wake up to the realities of the moment and rescue Nigeria for all of us by evoking their Constitutional powers under Section 143 of the Constitution and commence impeachment proceedings against President Mohammadu Buhari for gross incompetence and breach of Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution.
“Call on Members of the Executive Council to resolve under Section 144 of the Constitution that the President is incapable of discharging the functions of the office of President.
In his address simply entitled:’FORLORN WAIT FOR PRESIDENTIAL SERIOUSNESS ON WORSENING INSECURITY ACROSS NIGERIA’,. He further stated thus “With utmost concern about global anxiety caused by the wanton killing of some 43 Nigerian rice farmers in Borno state two weeks ago and most recently the kidnap of hundreds of school boys at kankara in the president’s home state Katsina.
” The nation, including members of the House of Representatives, waited with bated breath for an address of reassurance from President Muhammadu Buhari as he promised but without courtesy and in the characteristic manner of the present government, no comment is made.
It is very pathetic that the APC led Federal Government, in its avowed romance with lies and vile propaganda continues to demonstrate gross disregard for genuine discourse and democratic ethos.
“With due regard to the nation’s mournful mood and worsening anxieties, the House of Representatives led by the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, had invited President Buhari over rising insecurity across the federation, climaxed by the killing of over 43 farmers in Borno State and the kidnapping of hundreds of school boys.
“This contributes to the worsening profile of Nigeria in the comity of nations where she regrettably occupies the third most terrorised country in the world after Afganistan and Iraq.
“Only one gate separates the National Assembly Complex from the presidential villa but it appears easier for a donkey to pass through the eye of a needle than for President Buhari to pass through the gate and address us on extremely serious security issues daily consuming the lives of our people.
“Less than twenty-four hours to the scheduled address over such weighty matter that involves lives of Nigerian citizens in the hands of all manners of forest bandits, international terrorists, unrestrained highway kidnapping gangs and a host of other anarchists; it became apparent that the seriousness that Nigerian feel about these is not shared by Nigeria’s Presidency.
“In the past, the sharing of mutual concerns over citizens’ security by the Presidency and the National Assembly had yielded some positive impacts including huge budgetary allocations for the Presidency’s purported plans to put an end to insecurity.
“Indeed, since 2015 when the APC administration came in, the National Assembly has conscientiously done all within its power to appropriate hundreds of billions of Naira to facilitate the realization of APC’s failed core promises of economy, security and curbing corruption.
“We are witnesses to the apparent master/servant relationship between both arms of government which is regrettably referred to as a robust Executive/Parliamentary relationship with a joint committee headed by the Vice President which is yet to yield any positive result to Nigerians and Nigeria, other than clipping the mouth of the watchdog.
“If the Executive had any regard for the legislature, perhaps the purported committee would have handled the invitation of the President than the legal outburst of the Attorney General, supported by our own Deputy Senate President Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege.
“However, do the 206 million people of this country feel safe and secured to justify the hundreds of billions being spent by this administration on security.
“This administration has spent far too many billions on surveillance than the entire sums spent by previous administrations from 1999 to 2015. Discerning people wonder whether spying on conversations and text messages of the citizens has become more important than enabling our gallant forces to curb the terrorism and banditry ravaging the nation today.
“Of course, under their watch, unemployment and inflation have reached the worst level in our history, the value of the Naira did not just drop; it crashed. Just like their mismanagement of the economy, security has equally been atrociously mismanaged.
Families continue to lose gallant ones in the field of battle, even as other families daily lose members to bandits, highway robbers and kidnappers. Rather than give Nigerians hope, the Chief of Army Staff on the 4th of December, publicly and shamlessly pronounced that insecurity will continue in the country for about 20 years.
“It is public secret that this administration rode into power on tissue of lies; it’s ‘technically-defeated’ partners are now more audacious thereby necessitating proper beam of national search light on related security issues.
“Never ashamed of more lies, the APC administration just started spreading further disinformation, trying to say that the President reneged on his promise to talk to Nigerians through their representatives because of fears of serious embarrassment by PDP members.
Members of the PDP Caucus are statesmen, and cannot set out to cause mischief as the President is a father to all. However, the caucus will not sacrifice the country on the altar of political loyalty or servitude as germane issues will be raised.
“On his own part, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), now says the National Assembly lacks the power to invite President Muhammadu Buhari to speak on cogent security matters dear to the hearts of some 200 million citizens.
“This is very far from the provisions of our Constitution. The Caucus is seeking judicial interpretation of the relevant sections of the Constitution.
“By logical extension of Malami’s argument that security matters remain the exclusive preserve of the executive arm of government; must it therefore be understood by all Nigerians that the blame for the insecurity bedevilling the nation is exclusively that of the promise-and-fail executive arm?
“With an administration known for the most bare faced lies and propaganda in the political history of Nigeria – an administration that used lies and propaganda to seize power, only to declare lesser expressions as ‘hate speech’ – Nigeria is facing two more years of forlorn wait for presidential seriousness on worsening insecurity across the federation.
Though the PDP is in Minority, we are entitled to have our say and that we shall do.
“Let it be known that we are not interested in politicking with security but we want the safety of Nigerians to be given priority. The joint resolution of the National Assembly encompassing all political parties for change of security chiefs was as usual ignored by the President.
“We restate our call as the leadership spokesperson Hon Kalu opined, that this is the right time for this call, the President having failed to keep to his promise to honour the invitation of the House.
“We call on Nigerians across tribe, religion and political party for the up tent time to compel their Representatives and Senators to wake up to the realities of the moment and rescue Nigeria for all of us by evoking their Constitutional powers under Section 143 of the Constitution and immidiately;
Commence impeachment proceedings against President Mohammadu Buhari for gross incompetence and breach of Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution.
