VAULTING AMBITION: Governors gather support for plan to impeach President Jonathan
The movement for the impeachment of President Goodluck Jonathan has begun to gain momentum as some governors are said to have thrown their support behind it.
Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano and Kwara Deputy Governor, Elder Peter Kisra are some of those said to be involved in the plot.
A meeting to that effect is said to have been held at the Kano Governor’s Lodge in Abuja with the purpose of ‘appraising the political situation’.
Leadership reports:
As at the time of going to press, some APC national leaders-former head of state, General Muhammadu Buhari, former Lagos state governor, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno state, the party’s interim national publicity secretary, Lai Mohammed, former EFCC chairman, Nuhu Ribadu, among others were also meeting in the nation’s capital. A source said the leaders were meeting to prepare grounds for a meeting of the party’s national executive council
committee (NEC) scheduled for today.
Even as it could not be independently confirmed, it was gathered that the opposition’s move was a ‘pre-emptive measure to check-mate the ruling Peoples Democratic Party’s step to sack the G-5 governors who dumped it for the APC three weeks ago. The meeting lasted from 6 to 9 pm and it was resolved that the party should mobilise to take advantage of its seeming majority in the National Assembly.
A source close to the meeting told LEADERSHIP that the APC governors’ move came as it became imperative that the ruling party was poised to removing the G-5 governors through the courts.“There is no way we will take PDP’s legal action lightly because we have witnessed series of illegalities that the party had perpetuated in this country.“If you recall, the PDP swiftly moved against Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola and removed him from office even when he was on appeal against a judgement that sacked him”, he said.
It was further gathered that the APC’s measure, meant to go on simultaneously with the PDP’s legal action against the G-5 governors is to ‘mobilise members of the National Assembly, especially as the party (APC) appears set to displace the PDP in the power balance, particularly in the House of Representatives.’“Let them go ahead with their legal action; we shall also use our new power balance in our favour at the level of the House of Representatives to ensure we commence the process to remove the president from office,” the source further hinted.
The APC had in a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said it held the strong belief that the impeachment of the president is a legitimate constitutional option available to the National Assembly not only to protect the nation’s democracy but also to ensure the country’s unity.
