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| President Jonathan (Photo: The Nation) |
These are indeed testy times for the relationship between the executive and the legislature.
The Nation reports:
Disturbed by the growing impunity in
the country, 130 members of the House of Representatives yesterday launched a
battle to remove President Goodluck Jonathan. They signed an impeachment notice
register.
But Speaker Aminu Tambuwal asked his
colleagues to consider the barricade of the National Assembly by the police and
security agents as part of the price to pay for a sustainable democracy.
Members at the Executive Session of
the House, refused to table the impunity of the police to “avoid the situation
degenerating into a major crisis.”
Investigation showed that members
were angry by the invasion of the National Assembly by the police and security
agents.
They alleged that the invasion was
backed by the Presidency.
They alleged that President Jonathan
met secretly with on Wednesday night with Senate President David Mark and
Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha on the shape of yesterday’s House sitting.
Alleging executive recklessness, interference
and abuse of police, the members opted to collate signatures for an
impeachment notice against President Jonathan.
The lawmakers also rejected the
request for the extension of emergency rule in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.
Instead, they asked the President to
“invoke Section 8 of the Armed Forces Act to deal with Boko Haram insurgency”.
A principal officer of the House
said: “With how the police and security agents molested members of the House of
Representatives, President Goodluck Jonathan has lost our goodwill. We have
resolved to stop this impunity in the land.”
Another House member, who confirmed
to have signed the register, said: “This time around, it is going to be battle
to the finish. Going by the principle of Separation of Powers, the police and
security agents have no business barricading or occupying the National
Assembly.
“The Executive arm is misusing the
police and security agencies. We will no longer tolerate this. In a democracy, the Legislature is
a sacred place. Why will hooded security agents invade the National Assembly to
the extent that members were forced to be jumping the fence to enter the
complex. What has become of our mandate as elected Representatives?”
The House requires signatures of
one-third of the members of the National Assembly to serve impeachment notice
on the President.
Senators are believed to be in
league with members of the House to move against Jonathan.
The source said: “From the way we
are going, the siege on the National Assembly might be the beginning of more
clampdown on the lawmakers. The closure of the Assembly by the Chairman, Senate
President David Mark suggested that anarchy was imminent.
“We will not sit by in the House and
watch the political environment polluted and our hard-earned democracy turned
into diarchy.
“The only condition for peace is for
Jonathan to retrace his steps by respecting the principle of Separation of Powers
and call both the police and security agencies to order.”
Section 143 of the 1999 Constitution
reads in part: “The President or Vice-President may be removed from office in
accordance with the provisions of this section whenever a notice of any allegation
in writing signed by not less than one-third of the members of the National
Assembly is (a) presented to the President of the Senate (b) stating that the
holder of the office of President or Vice-President is guilty of gross
misconduct in the performance of the functions of his office, detailed
particulars of which shall be specified.”
House member said the Police Affairs
Committee was mandated to invite the Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman
Abba, to explain why Representatives were attacked, teargassed and molested.
Another source confirmed that the
House may also reject the President’s 2015 Appropriation Bill.
“With the invasion of the National
Assembly by the police and security agents, the President may have it extremely
difficult in getting our consent to consider the 2015 Appropriation Bill.
“If he can intimidate, we can also use our
constitutional powers to assert our constitutional rights,” he said.
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