IMPEACHMENT STRATEGY: A NEW WEAPON OF CONVENIENCE FOR PDP The Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, was said to have made public proclamation on how PDP must deliver Adamawa State in 2015 no matter whose ox is being gored. The statement, which was credited to the President during his visit to Bauchi state, as reflected on page 15 of Sunday Trust Newspaper, April 6, 2014, underscores the desperation of the PDP party and the Federal Government in usurping political powers in Adamawa and all other APC controlled states, using every available political transgression at their disposal. The National Chairman of All Progressive Party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, recently stated that after bastardising the army, Police, Aviation and electoral Commission, the PDP ruling party has now employed a new scheme of wresting power from APC control states using the impeachment strategy as a ‘weapon’ of convenience. Chief Odigie-Oyegun maintained that after Admiral Murtala Nyako of Adamawa, PDP is scheming impeachment plots against Nassarawa, Rivers, Edo and Borno states. Impeachment proceedings are legitimate measures which the Nigerian constitution clearly defines and upholds. It is the process of removing a serving Government official from office due to gross act of misdemeanour and misconduct. The process is meant to ensure checks and balances in the polity, guarantee the autonomy of the different arms of government and demonstration of the doctrine of separation of powers between the executive, legislators and the judiciary. Non-performance, nepotism, financial mismanagement, economic sabotage, flagrant disregard of constitutional provisions, espionage, fraud, embezzlement, deceit and any form of misappropriation of state resources are part of the demeanours that constitute impeachable offences in Nigeria. Certainly, the All Progressive Congress of Nigeria [APC], believes in the rule of law and the application of disciplinary democratic measures on any public official in the country [irrespective of party affiliation], in so far as such measures are not construed as weapon of intimidation, persecution and political discrimination. Unfortunately the impeachment scandal that brought down the democratically elected Government of Murtala Nyako of Adamawa state was illegitimate, illegal and unconstitutional. In the first instance the impeachable offences which the Governor was said to have committed were offences that allegedly took place more than 5 years ago, when the retired Admiral was under PDP party. By some inexplicable reasons the Adamawa state legislators did not find those offences worthy of impeachment until recently when Nyako defected to APC. The allegations were hurriedly dusted and brought forward to the state assembly for consideration and prosecution process. More so, the Adamawa state legislators did not take appropriate recourse to the constitutional provisions which stipulate that the notice of impeachment must be served to the Executive Governor personally. Section 188, sub-sections 3 of the constitution is crystal clear about that. The high court of justice had once overruled similar attempt by Imo state House of assembly when it ‘impeached’ Governor Peter Obi in 1996. The court declared the actions of the members of the Imo state House of assembly null and void because the notice of impeachment was printed on the pages of newspapers instead of being served to the Governor directly. It is clear that the PDP Governors are invulnerable, untouchable and immune to impeachment even where compelling evidences are presented against the ruling Chief Executive of the state, as in the case of Jonah John of Plateau state. The Plateau state House of Assembly had received substantial evidence of carefully documented proofs of financial embezzlement and misappropriation of state resources by the Executive Governor, from a consortium of civic organisations in the state, but the legislators seem to look the other way. The Secretary to the Plateau State Government was even alleged to have informed members of the Civil Service that anyone who testifies against the Governor would automatically lose his job! About 3 months ago the Nigerian media reported that the Executive Governor of Benue state had slashed the salaries and allowances of his Special Advisors, Principal Officers, civil servants and other appointed political office holders in a bit to settle 3 months teachers’ Salaries in the state. Despite all the billions of Naira monthly grant that the Benue State Government receives from the Federal Government, it could not pay teachers’ salary because arguably the funds were embezzled and misappropriated. And yet such actions did not warrant impeachment proceedings against the Governor simply because he belongs to PDP. In Bauchi state a sizeable number of the public schools are dilapidated and ramshackle with several students squatting on the bare-floor during lecture period. Agriculture, Health care delivery system and social infrastructure are completely neglected. The billions of Naira that the state government receives from the Federal Government and the internally generated revenue could hardly be accounted for. Here again, the executive Governor cannot face impeachment charges because he belongs to the People Democratic Party. Kaduna state is perhaps the worst case scenario where public agitations against the Executive Governor are constantly muffled by political loyalists. Majority of the citizens complained that the state is in perpetual darkness with street lighting projects, road network and other infrastructural development that often characterised a democratically elected government completely lacking. Examples abound across all over Nigeria where the incompetence and non performance of the PDP Government are deep-seated and inherently embedded in their application of democratic and political responsibilities. Members of the National Assembly and the Senate under the banner of PDP also enjoy this anti-impeachment privilege, except where their interests clash with those of the Presidency, as in the case of Faroukh Lawan who recently confessed that he had taken a bribe of $620,000 from Chairman of Zenon Oil and Gas, Mr Femi Otedola. . To many Nigerians those are citizens ‘above the law’ and no matter the degree of their offences; they cannot be made to face the consequences. The Federal Government itself is not exception to these impeachment immunity predispositions. On numerous occasions allegations of gross acts of embezzlement had been forwarded to the Commander-in-Chief, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, but the president had never taken any proactive conclusions in dealing with those issues decisively. Members of the National Assembly, Senior Government officials and other top Government functionaries that were personally nominated by the President, including the embattled former CBN Governor, now emir of Kano, Sunusi Muhammad Sunusi the Second, reported the case of missing billions of Dollars within the NNPC, Aviation industry and many other sectors, yet the President has consistently remained aloof and unperturbed. Where such matters affect APC members, the law will immediately be applied even if such allegations are unsubstantiated. But it was Edmund Burke, one of the greatest Philosophers, Orator and Human Rights Activist that once said; ‘’the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.’’ The good citizens of Nigeria have come to understand that despite multiple impeachment moves against Adamawa, Nassarawa, Edo, Borno and all the APC controlled states, the PDP Government has nothing to offer after 16 years of despotic rule. And by 2015 Nigerians will surely do something that is politically legitimate and democratically necessary by coming out en-masse to elect APC, political party that can truly represents their aspirations in 2015. Written by Shehu MAN APC Rigar Yanci Forum Secretary
Posted on: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 03:58:05 +0000
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