Threat of impeachment of APC governors suspicious –NLC chief The National Vice President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Isa Aremu, has expressed doubts over the impeachment and threats of impeachment of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governors in the country, saying the sanctity of tenure is the sustainer of the country’s democracy. Aremu, who was a member of the just-concluded national conference, made the observation in Ilorin on a Radio Kwara programme, The Platform. He urged President Goodluck Jonathan not to give the impression of using his office to torment governors in opposition states. His words: “The one that is worrisome is the one of Nassarawa. The impeachment notice was served just at the time the president was visiting the state. I mean, we should not give it the impression that the president is using his office to torment a governor in an opposition state, I don’t think this is the intention of the president. “What I am saying is, even the timing alone makes it to be suspicious. The president is the elected president, currently he is our president today, he has the right to relate with elected governors but he cannot relate with you when as he is arriving in the state, the governor’s job is being threatened.” “I want President Jonathan to use his office to re-direct our political discourse along the line of statesmanship. He has done it before and I think he can do it again. Several times, he was threatened with impeachment and Nigerians stood up to say no.” “I am not a fan of some of these governors. Some of them are known for recklessness, a lot of executive impunity. A good number of them engage in self-help for themselves rather than public service for their people. Of course there are some governors that have also performed who endeared themselves to the electorate in their respective states but whatever the case maybe, even if we don’t like any governor. “Our constitution is clear: a governor that is been elected has the mandate to be in office for four years after which we go for election. If the electorate want him or her, he or she is given another mandate for four years, if the electorate don’t want the elected governor, they can vote him out. “It is also true that our constitution makes provision for impeachment where there are gross misconducts, violation and so on but for goodness sake, we must make sure that the process of impeachment is seen to be transparent and to reflect the true spirit of the constitution. The danger that we are having at hand is increasingly, impeachment clause is being politicised, the perception is that it is becoming a tool for continuation of politics through the other means. Some governors have been removed before from judicial pronouncements arising from issues dealing with election. Now we have also seen some governors being threatened with impeachment in which parties that have majority in the house just use the clout to remove governors, I think this is not healthy for our democratic process. “Now what it portrays is that increasingly, there is a feeling of desperation for office by different political actors and don’t forget that of the governors is the only one that captures imagination. I think this is not really healthy for all of us. What I am saying here is that, we must make the point that election and struggle for power should be based on contest of ideas, policies not conquest of personalities however well positioned.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Jul 2014 09:30:36 +0000
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