by Laila Ibrahim
63 out of the 109 members of the Senate have reportedly put down their signatures on a proposal to impeach President Goodluck Jonathan.
On Thursday, 27 November, one of the Senators at the forefront of the impeachment move, showed Punch the list, which had 8 Peoples Democratic Party Senators among the signatories.
Apart from the earlier stated ‘impunity and corruption’, the lawmakers have cited Jonathan’s handling of the economy and political affairs of the country, as factors behind the impeachment move.
The lawmakers have also cited the poor implementation of the national budget since 2011, the widespread high level of corruption and “gross disregard” of the legislature at both the federal as other grudges they have against the President.
The Senator said, “We know and we are prepared to show the President that we have responsibility to the people and the nation in general. We are prepared to lay the impeachment notice anytime from next week. Meetings are already being held.”
Senator Ibrahim Musa of the All Progressives Congress, representing Niger North, also gave a hint that members of the Senate were actively pursuing the impeachment process. He said: “I think there is something like that but I don’t have the details, it is still coming as a rumour.”
Meanwhile, the PDP Senators who at the onset, spearheaded the impeachment process, have reportedly had a change of heart, due to the automatic reelection ticket promised to them by the leadership of the ruling party.
An APC Senator revealed that the impeachment letter contains the signatures of both the APC and PDP senators, adding that the letter could not be laid on the floor of the senate because some PDP to Senators pleaded with their APC counterparts to delay the action.
He said, “The truth of the matter is that the impeachment notice would have been laid if not for our colleagues in the PDP who pleaded with us to delay the process pending when the senate leadership would come up with the result of its efforts at securing automatic tickets for them.”
“In any case the process had started but if we submit the letter now, the signatures of the PDP senators will be there and the party might want to use that as an excuse to deny them their automatic tickets.”
Most of our national leaders are thiefs, look at the actions of some passing out governors that have run their state for almost eight years are still eyeing the senate position which is causing some beefing or enemity among party members, instead of them to support the youths to rise up for this positions and challenges.
In any government where their is no opposition,you will found out that such a country will go down to ruin, the government in power should tackle this case of economic crises in the country to avoid imposing untold hardship to poor Nigerians