Senate resumes amidst Jonathan’s impeachment plot

Since the November 20 security siege on the National Assembly by the police resulting in the teargassing of House Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and other lawmakers, angry lawmakers in the two chambers commenced collecting signatures with a view to instituting impeachment procedure on the president whom they accused of ordering the siege.Last week, some senators […]

Since the November 20 security siege on the National Assembly by the police resulting in the teargassing of House Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and other lawmakers, angry lawmakers in the two chambers commenced collecting signatures with a view to instituting impeachment procedure on the president whom they accused of ordering the siege.
Last week, some senators told Daily Trust that no fewer than 60 of them have appended their signatures to the motion while over 200 members of the House of Representatives have also done so in the lower chamber.
The Senate adjourned plenary on Wednesday last week after receiving briefings on the insurgency ravaging the North East from the nation’s security chiefs after they declined to extend the state of emergency rule in the three states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe for the fourth consecutive time.
Senator Babafemi Ojudu (APC, Ekiti) had told Daily Trust at the weekend that both senators of the ruling People’s Democratic Party and the opposition All Progressives Congress were in unison on the impeachment moves.
Based on the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, a motion seeking to institute impeachment proceeding against the president must be signed by 1/3 of the lawmakers in the Senate.
With over 60 senators appending their signatures to the motion, they have surpassed the constitutionally required number and it is left to be seen if the motion would be tabled any time soon, our correspondent reports.
Sources in the Senate said already, Senate President David Mark has commenced moves to block the presentation of the motion in the Senate chamber.
In the House, Rep. Mohammed Tahir Monguno (APC, Borno) said the president will be served with the impeachment motion when the lower chamber reconvenes tomorrow.