Impeachment: How far can NASS go?

The present National Assembly cannot be said to be docile and redundant, in its first three years it has passed more bills and has been more active than what we had in the past.  The major challenge with the present NASS is its inability to match words and threats with action when it comes to […]

The present National Assembly cannot be said to be docile and redundant, in its first three years it has passed more bills and has been more active than what we had in the past. 

The major challenge with the present NASS is its inability to match words and threats with action when it comes to handling issues of the executive and other appointees of the executive. Senate’s battle with the Comptroller General of Customs; former SGF, Babachir Lawal; IGP Ibrahim Idris, and acting Chairman of EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, among others, made the Senate and the NASS an object of ridicule and almost brought disgrace to the institution of the Senate. 

When news broke on Tuesday that the lawmakers had a volatile joint executive session where they threatened to invoke their power on the executive if the President does not stop the intimidation and harassment of perceived enemies of the President, especially members of the National Assembly, among other issues, brought some relief. 

Among resolutions reached at the session, NASS’ declaration to invoke its power on the executive sounds so good and promising, it is long overdue. But how far can NASS go in matching words with action? This is not the first time the Senate would be issuing such threat, the end result has always been futile, lacking in substance and fit only as words of a paper tiger. 

Beyond threats by the NASS and the demonization of the NASS in some quarters, the National Assembly possess the power to impeach the President if he commits impeachable offence and President Buhari has committed more impeachable offences in the last three years which if Nigeria was a more democratic state he would have been shown the way out of office. 

One would have expected the NASS to have gone beyond issuing threats upon threats at this level, three years into flagrant display of incompetence, gross misconduct, total disregard for the rule of law as well as abuse and excessive use of power by the Buhari administration.

For a very long time, Nigerians had thought NASS would commence impeachment proceedings against President Buhari for serially disobeying court orders and recently for allowing the withdrawal of $496 million from the Excess Crude Account, without the approval of the National Assembly in total violation of section 80 (1-4) of the constitution. 

Section 80 (3) clearly states that: “No moneys shall be withdrawn from any public fund of the Federation, other than the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation unless the issue of those moneys has been authorised by an Act of the National Assembly.” 

Buhari has committed more offences that should serve as a good platform for the National Assembly to take its impeachment threat beyond mere talk and match it with action. Nigerians are waiting.

Kashamu Lawal wrote from Ilorin.