PDP in Panic, Moves to Stop Jonathan’s Impeachment
The heat is on. The PDP may have started offering ‘re-election tickets’
to National Assembly members as a means of dissuading them from
supporting the reported drive by majority of All Progressives Congress
lawmakers and few PDP members to impeach President Goodluck Jonathan.
In the House of Reps in particular, the bait was said to have “toned down” the anger of some PDP members, who ordinarily would have backed the bid to remove Jonathan.
About 113 lawmakers, largely of the APC fold, began collecting signatures to impeach Jonathan after the police and SSS operatives locked the gates of the National Assembly on Thursday.
Many of them, including the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, were held out for hours as a result of the security action. The development led to commotion as angry members resorted to scaling the gates to enter the National Assembly premises.
Amidst a rain of tear-gas, the enraged lawmakers also forcibly took Tambuwal into the chambers to preside over the day’s proceedings.
Investigations by Punch showed that PDP immediately started reaching out to its members after it turned out that the collection of signatures was real.
A senior PDP member, Mr. Bethel Amadi, confirmed to Punch that the caucus would be mobilised to stop any impeachment move against Jonathan.
Amadi said, “Jonathan has not committed any offence to the best of our knowledge. There is no reason to drag Mr. President into any crisis happening at the National Assembly."
Another source said, “You know that to impeach the President there must be a joint effort of the Senate and the House. While one arm can initiate the process, it cannot get far without two-thirds support of both chambers.
“That is why, getting senators and House members to stay out of the APC’s plot is vital.”
In the House of Reps in particular, the bait was said to have “toned down” the anger of some PDP members, who ordinarily would have backed the bid to remove Jonathan.
An influential National Assembly source said on Sunday that “many of these lawmakers have long fallen apart with their state governors. They have been told before now that they should forget any ambition to return in 2015.
“Attempts they made to use the Presidency to intervene in their case also did not turn out in their favour. But, with the impeachment move against Jonathan, the party is now assuring some of the members to keep supporting the President as the tickets can still be theirs.”
About 113 lawmakers, largely of the APC fold, began collecting signatures to impeach Jonathan after the police and SSS operatives locked the gates of the National Assembly on Thursday.
Many of them, including the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, were held out for hours as a result of the security action. The development led to commotion as angry members resorted to scaling the gates to enter the National Assembly premises.
Amidst a rain of tear-gas, the enraged lawmakers also forcibly took Tambuwal into the chambers to preside over the day’s proceedings.
Investigations by Punch showed that PDP immediately started reaching out to its members after it turned out that the collection of signatures was real.
A senior PDP member, Mr. Bethel Amadi, confirmed to Punch that the caucus would be mobilised to stop any impeachment move against Jonathan.
Amadi said, “Jonathan has not committed any offence to the best of our knowledge. There is no reason to drag Mr. President into any crisis happening at the National Assembly."
Another source said, “You know that to impeach the President there must be a joint effort of the Senate and the House. While one arm can initiate the process, it cannot get far without two-thirds support of both chambers.
“That is why, getting senators and House members to stay out of the APC’s plot is vital.”
