Opposition senators from the Minority Caucus , on Wednesday, staged a walk out from the red chamber and called for the impeachment of President Muhammadu Buhari over the worsening insecurity in the country.
The senators also gave Buhari six weeks to curb growing insecurity or face a notice of impeachment from them.
The opposition senators had staged a walk out of plenary , following the refusal of the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan’s refusal to accede to a motion moved by the Minority Leader, Senator Philip Aduda (PDP, FCT) that the Senate should debate the cases of rising insecurity in the country
But the senators, who briefed journalists after walking out of the Senate Chamber, claimed that they had during their closed-door session, which lasted for about two hours, agreed that they would deliberate on rising insecurity and give the President an ultimatum to either address insecurity or face impeachment.
The opposition senators expressed anger that Lawan refused to abide by their resolution to debate the issue of insecurity after reverting to plenary from the closed door session.
The federal lawmakers also shouted: “All we are saying, Buhari must go!”
The opposition lawmakers at the briefing comprised senators from the PDP, NNPP, APGA and one APC member.
Apart from Aduda, other Senators who walked out of the Senate Chambers and participated in the briefing include Enyinnaya Abaribe (APGA); George Sekibo (PDP); Mohammed Bulkachuwa (APC – Bauchi North); Betty Apiafi (PDP, Rivers); Christopher Ekpenyong (PDP); Nicholas Tofowomo, Francis Alimikhena (PDP, Edo), Adamu Aliero (PDP, Kebbi)), Ahmad Babba-Kaita (PDP, Katsina); Ibrahim Shekarau (NNPP, Kano); Matthew Urhoghide (PDP, Edo) and Istifanus Gyang (PDP, Plateau).
Others are Francis Onyewuchi (PDP) Chukwuka Utazi (PDP, Enugu), Biodun Olujimi (PDP, Ekiti)); Akon Eyankeyi (PDP); Obinna Ogba (PDP); Ayo Akinyelure (PDP); Danjuma La’ah (PDP); Yahaya Abdullahi (PDP, Kebbi), Emmanuel Okar-jev (PDP, Benue); Uche Ekwunife (PDP, Anambra), Clifford Ordia (PDP), etc.
Aduda (FCT) had protested the worsening security situation during plenary.
Speaking under a point of order, which he did not cite, Senator Aduda requested the red chamber to give a six-week ultimatum to Buhari to address the issue of insecurity or face impeachment.
He said, “Mr. President, you may wish to recall that during the closed session, we discussed the issues as they relate to security in the country and all the issues around it.
“And we had also discussed that we are going to come back to plenary to discuss the efforts that have been made so far on the issue of security in the country, after which we give an ultimatum to the President that he resolves this issue, otherwise we give an impeachment notice.”
But the Senate President, while ruling on Aduda’s point of order, faulted the minority leader for failing to put forward his request in accordance with the Senate’s rules which regulates its proceedings.
In his ruling, Lawan said: “Minority Leader, when you’re going to come under a point of order, first, you’re supposed to cite the order.
“Secondly, you’re supposed to discuss with me what you’re going to raise on the floor. You didn’t.
“Thirdly, we have already passed that stage. So, at this moment, I really don’t know what the point of order is, as such it falls flat on its face.”
But the opposition senators led by Aduda thereafter staged a walk out of the chambers during plenary.
The senators later addressed the Senate Press Corps and gave Buhari six weeks ultimatum to address rising insecurity in the country and also implement all senate resolutions to that effect or face impeachment proceedings.
Speaking on what transpired, Aduda said: “We went into a closed session to discuss issues as they relate to security in this country especially the happenings in Abuja and happenings all over the country and we agreed that the primary responsibility of the government is the protection of lives and property of citizens.
“For us, the minority caucus in the Senate, we also took into cognizance the fact that the Senate had at various times convened various security meetings, various security issues were discussed and we did recommend to the government various steps and measures aimed at curbing these issues of insecurity.
“We realise that even Abuja that we are in is no more safe and all of you will agree with us. So, at the close session we agreed that we will give the President an ultimatum that if it is not complied with, we will move immediately to give an impeachment notice.
“This we agreed at the executive session. So when we came out of the closed door session, we had expected that the Senate President would brief the public on the issues that have happened but however it did not happen.
“So we have come here in protest to brief you (press) and to let you know that we are with Nigerians in this struggle and that we are worried that no where is safe in Nigeria and as such we have walked out of the chambers in protest that the security situation in Nigeria is deteriorating and urgent steps need to be completely taken to ensure that these issues are curbed immediately.
“These are the issues that were discussed and these are the reasons why we left the Senate plenary in protest.”
When asked on how soon the opposition lawmakers would formalise their impeachment threats against Buhari, Aduda said: “We have given six weeks notice within which the security issues should be resolved and all our resolutions should also be implemented. We have passed so many resolutions on what should be done about insecurity and we have given all the support to that effect.”
When contacted, the Senate spokesman, Senator Ajibola Basiru (APC, Osun) stated that the issue of insecurity concerns all Nigerians and therefore must not be politicised.
Basiru said: “They (opposition Senators) have not come up with a motion. For them to do that there must be a motion. The issue, to my understanding, was raised at plenary.
“The unanimous consensus of the senators irrespective of party divide is that we should take the Executive to task as to the issue of insecurity and of course that relevant visitations and consultations should be taken as well as even consideration of possible impeachment proceeding against the President.
“But just as we resumed, even before the businesses of the Senate continued, the opposition decided to stage a walk out.
“But as far as all of us are concerned as Senators, we are concerned about the state of insecurity in the country and we believe that the President must be taken to task on it, but we don’t believe it is something we need to now make it a matter of politicking or partisanship.
“As much as the Executive has a role to play, I also believe that the legislature also has a role to play. There is a need to decentralise the security architecture of the country.
“It is high time we go back to state police because the argument against state police is that politicians people. That means they will oppress the political elite.
“But we have a situation whereby even people who have nothing to do with politics are not even safe. Children cannot go to school, they cannot do their exams.
“So if you have to weigh on the balance of convenience, as to whatever mischief they said state police will do and the merits it will have in securing our country, I think it is better to take the risk of having a state police and then use the rule of law and human rights protection to address the possible abuse of state police.
“But as it were today, the Nigeria police is incapable as it is to secure Nigeria. The military are being drawn into what ordinarily are policing matters because of the inadequacy of policing.
“As of today, the ratio of police to the population of Nigeria is grossly abysmal and as a Senator, I have sponsored a bill on state police which did not even pass through the constitution review committee schedule.
“There is also a bill to decentralize Nigeria police along zonal lines so that they can have operational and budgetary control over their zones.
“That bill has not been taken into consideration. So, rather than see it as a mere executive decision, as a National Assembly, there is also a role for us to play in taking the issue of security very seriously and come up with legislative action that will give comfort to Nigerians in the area of security.
“But it is not something that we should be politicizing by just saying we a making a walk out without any practical suggestion on what to be done and without a concerted effort of all of us in the National Assembly irrespective of our political affiliation to take the President to task on the issue of insecurity in the country. It is a matter of collective responsibility rather than a partisan position.”
Also speaking to journalists on the issue, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation, Senator Smart Adeyemi (APC – Kogi West), insisted that the issue of giving an ultimatum to the President was a collective decision of the Senate.
Adeyemi said: “I think it is wrong to say opposition (gave the six weeks ultimatum). It was a collective decision of the Senate, to give an ultimatum. The only difference from what the opposition are eventually saying is a matter of semantics.
“We say we are giving the President six weeks, they said they are serving impeachment notice, after six weeks we move, we come and sit down and start discussing.
“The opposition said we must give notice but we said it has to be a six weeks ultimatum. They said after six weeks what happens? We said they should wait till after six weeks first. I don’t see any difference.”
