The fragile cordial relationship between the Presidency and the National Assembly appears to have broken down irreparably on Tuesday, as a joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives gave President Muhammadu Buhari a 12-point resolution he must complied with to avoid being impeached.
The two chambers of the National Assembly were resolute that President Buhari must stop interfering in its affairs or face impeachment procedure.
The resolutions were adopted at what the lawmakers described as an emergency executive session on the state of the nation.
An impeachment move was made during a stormy joint session of the two chambers where an impeachment register was circulated but whose sponsorship no lawmaker was ready to own up to, it was gathered.
The Federal lawmakers at the volatile joint executive session held at the House of Representatives chamber said the President must be sincere in his fight against corruption and stop harassing his perceived enemies.
The session was however described as ‘hot and contradictory’ by a member, who said he was uncomfortable with the threat of impeachment, adding that such threat will remain a threat.
The move for the impeachment was sponsored by a vocal PDP member from Kogi state, it was gathered by the Nation.
Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who was flanked by Speaker Yakubu Dogara reeled out a 12 point resolution which he said must be complied with by the President or risk being faced with the invocation of the powers of the National Assembly.
No timeline was given for the compliance with the resolution.
The resolutions include: “The Security Agencies must be given marching orders to curtail the sustained killings of Nigerians across the country and protect life and properties of Nigerians as this is the primary duty of any responsible Government.
“The systematic harassment and humiliation by the Executive of perceived political opponents, people with contrary opinions including Legislators and Judiciary by the police and other security agencies must stop.
” There must be strict adherence to the Rule of Law and protection for all citizens by the President and his appointees.
” The President must be held accountable for the actions of his appointees and must be ready to sanction those that carry out any act which will ridicule or endanger our country and democracy.
“The Government should show sincerity in the fight against corruption by not being selective and also prosecute current appointees that have cases pending against them.
“The sanctity of the National Assembly should be protected and preserved by the Federal Government of Nigeria by not interfering in its business and prosecuting those who invaded the Senate to seize the mace.
“National Assembly should liaise with International Communities through the IPU, APU, ECOWAS, CPA, Parliament, Pan African Parliament, EU, UN, US congress and UK Parliament to secure our democracy.
“Democratic elections must be competitive and inclusive by removing the present reign of fear and intimidation particularly as we approach the forthcoming 2019 elections.
“The National Assembly will work closely with Civil Society Organisations, Trade Unions and NGOs to further deepen and protect our democracy
“The President must take immediate steps to contain the growing level of unemployment and poverty in Nigeria especially now that we have advantage of the oil price having risen to $80 per barrel.
“Both chambers of the National Assembly hereby pass a vote of confidence on the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the entire leadership of the National Assembly.
“We reaffirm our earlier resolution of vote of no confidence on the Inspector General of Police who does nothing other than preside over the killing of innocent Nigerians and consistent framing up of perceived political opponents of the President and outright disregard for constitutional authority, both executive and legislative.
“Finally, the National Assembly will not hesitate to evoke its Constitutional powers if nothing is done to address the above resolutions passed today”.
Immediately the session was over, Mohammed Gudaji (APC, Jigawa) at a press briefing said the impeachment threat will not fall through.
Signs that the move will fail according to Gudaji were revealed during the stormy session when an impeachment move through a register could not get enough signatures.
He said lawmakers from the north will not support it because there were certain part of the resolutions that cannot carried immediately by the President.
While he expressed his support for the resolutions but spoke against an impeachment procedure against the President, Gudaji however said President Buhari needed to look inward and review the activities of his aides.
He said some of the President’s aides that could not command any electoral relevance are undermining his efforts at moving the nation forward.
According to him, Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Speaker Yakubu Dogara appealed to the sponsors of the impeachment move to have a change of mind.
He said while all the members were unanimous on all the resolutions, all hell broke lose when the invocation of necessary constitutional provisions against President Buhari, if he failed to implement the resolutions was raised.
He said, “I have never seen this kind of hot joint session. What is the necessary legislative action, what is the necessary action if not impeachment? Many of us are not interested in threatening the President”
Kazuare noted that immediately some of them from the North got wind of the plot to impeach the President, they quickly mobilised and formed a group of 162 Northern lawmakers to frustrate the move.
He said: “Many of us are not in support of threatening the President because he is a man of integrity. We know his heart is clean. But people are complaining about people surrounding him.
“Today, I call on the President to checkmate those people. Let him remove anybody that people are complaining about.
“Let him remove them and bring people that will move this country forward, because enough is enough.
“We don’t want a situation whereby some people will create problems for the president, then at the end, we will come to this House and complain against the president.
“While the president is around in the villa and doesn’t know what is going on in the country. Because unless they come and brief him, and sometimes, they brief him wrongly, and that is the reality.
“As we are in the House of Representatives, I’m sure we have some members in the Senate, I’m sure we will not allow anybody to threaten the President.
“The President will remain the President and he will be re- elected, when he finishes his eight years, he will go, then anybody can come. But that threat is the only thing that worried me in the Chamber.
“Because after all the resolutions, they said without the executive adopting the resolutions we will use any legislative power that we have against them.
“The issue of people collecting signatures to serve notice of impeachment to the president, we know it’s there in the House. But we know nobody can afford to come and show us that they will impeach the President in the Chamber.
“Nobody will do that, because their is no two-third. I’m sure there is no two- third in the House of Representatives because our group, we are strong enough to stop any impeachment
“I agree with the legislature for saying that we have to improve the security of this country and that the killings must end. This is accepted, and the issue of the people around the president that are not performing, I accept that the president should change them or sack them.
“Issue of intimidating people like intimidating a whole Senate President, saying he sponsored a robbery, a whole Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, it embarrassed this institution. I will not support it and I’m sure the President never supported it”.
Signs that all was not well became apparent immediately the Senate reconvened for plenary and went into Executive Session around 11am.
The closed session of the upper chamber ended around 12.30 pm.
Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, announced after the closed session that they discussed National Assembly and Senate issues in particular.
He further said that they resolved to hold a joint Executive Session with members of the House of Representatives.
Saraki mandated Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan, to move a motion for the Senate to go to the House of Representatives chamber for the emergency joint Executive Session.
Lawan did.
The motion was seconded by Minority Leader, Godswill Apkabio.
Members of the upper chamber were also said to have held a “strategic meeting” on Monday night to articulate issues for discussion.
While the Executive Session in the House of Representatives lasted, activities in the National Assembly were held up.
It was learnt that after the adoption of vote of confidence on Saraki and Dogara, some Senators and members of the House mounted presure on Saraki to immediately declare to run for the seat of the President of the country “because we need leadership”.
National Assembly workers were observed milling around the lobby while a horde of security operatives swarmed the nooks and crannies of the Assembly complex.
At the House of Representatives, Speaker Dogara told members that the business of the day would be expeditiously treated to enable them convoke an emergency joint executive session with the Senate.