Impeachment threat:
Jonathan’s likely offences
• As House of Reps resumes plenary soon, President’s sins are already being compiled
Photo:
Sun News Publishing
By September, when the House of Representatives resumes plenary,
Nigerians would know whether its members would press ahead with the
impeachment threat issued to President Goodluck Jonathan. The House had
declared that it would commence impeachment proceeding if the president
fails to implement the budget satisfactorily.
However, even as the House is in session there are indications that some
elements are already drawing up list of perceived offences of Jonathan.
Sources say that top on the list are the state of insecurity in the
country, extra-budgetary spending, renaming University of Lagos to
Moshood Abiola University without getting the National Assembly to amend
the law establishing the institution, non-implementation of the budget
fully.
It was gathered that the House would point out that the nation is
sinking into an abyss and that the president is not capable of managing
the security situation. The Boko Haram insurgence in the North, the
ethnic skirmishes in Plateau State as well as kidnapping in the South
East and South South would be cited as example of the needed proof of
the ineptitude of the president.
Another allegation the House may come up with is the extra budgetary
expenses incurred by the executive, contrary to Section 80 (2), (3) and
(4) of the 1999 Constitution, which amounts to gross misconduct. There
was the admission of extra-budgetary spending of over N2trillion without
appropriation.
The renaming of University of Lagos (UNILAG) to Moshood Abiola
University (MAU) by the president is another likely offence. Those who
are pressing for this said that when Obasanjo was under threat of
impeachment, one of the offences was that, without an enabling Act, he
merged the Nigerian Bank for Commerce and Industry (NBCI), the National
Economic Reconstruction Fund (NERFUND) and the Nigerian Industrial
Development Bank to form the Bank of Industry, while the Acts
establishing the said institutions are still valid and subsisting. In
the case of Jonathan, he announce the renaming of UNILAG’s when the Act
establishing the school has not been amended or repealed.
The House may also accuse Jonathan of having biased preference to
develop his South South region, in terms of carrying out capital
projects in the 2012 budget. According to the northern caucus in the
House of Representatives, President Jonathan’s home region of
South-South got almost 30 percent of the capital allocation of the 2012
budget.
Analysis by the Northern Caucus shows that the South South was allocated
N116.5billion, representing 30 percent of the total votes allocated to
the six geo-political zones. The South West got N65.52bn or 16.67
percent and the North Central, including the Federal Capital Territory
(FCT), which hitherto was treated independent of the region, got
63.92billion or 16.27 percent.
North West got 56.96billion, followed by the South East, with
49.2billionn and North East, which had the lowest amount of
N40.89billionn or 10.40 percent of the total N392.96billion allocation
for the six zones.
Although the presidency was rattled by the position of the House, it is
believed that some people are already working to douse the tension. But
the position of the House has received the blessing of opposition
parties. The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) on Tuesday,
said it endorsed the move of the legislators and urged the House to
press on with its resolve adding that failure to promptly implement
budgets has been the cause of dilapidated infrastructure and poor social
services in the country.
National Publicity Secretary of the CNPP, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, in a
statement said: “CNPP joins the House of Representatives in calling for
the expeditious implementation of the 2012 Budget; for over the years,
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led Federal Government of Nigeria
has in spite of unprecedented oil revenue failed to advance the welfare
of Nigerians, hence the Boko Haram insurgency, kidnapping and other
social vices.
“We are at a loss how the gross unemployment, dilapidated infrastructure
and decadant of social services can be addressed without implementation
of the Budget. Or is it the Boko Haram insurgency as President Jonathan
claimed that is distracting the government from implementing the
Budget?
“In its wisdom, the government has pegged the budget at $72 per barrel
of oil and the price of a barrel per day has been hovering between $90
and $100; so there is no cogent reason to halt Budget implementation.”
In the same vein, Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) has pledged its
support for the move to impeach President Jonathan. The national
publicity secretary of the party, Rotimi Fashakin, said the party was in
support of the decision as a right step in the right direction.
Fashakin said: “Since the Appropriation Act was not implemented, and the
House of Representatives has given the president from now till
September to fully implement the Appropriation Act, and if he fails it
would proceed on impeachment, it is a right decision by the House of
Representatives.”
Fashakin said the issue of impeachment should be seen as a way of
checking the president, and a way also to make the president do the
right thing. He asked Nigerians to support the decision of the House.
A senator from the South East said that the move by the House was a
pointer in the right direction to halt the country from going into the
abyss. According to him, it is better for power to change from civilian
to civilian than through the barrel of the gun. He noted that this time,
Ghana- must-go might not move around, in view of the string operation
involving Farouk Lawal and Otedola, which is said to have the blessings
of the executive. He believes that the lawmakers may be very cautious in
collecting gratification.
But informed sources told Saturday Sun that if there would be a deal, it
would be between key officers of the National Assembly and the
executive. It is not likely that key officers of the National Assembly
would betray members. It has never happened before.
Meanwhile, it appears that history is repeating itself. The Federal
House of Representatives is toeing a familiar path. It would seem that
it is now becoming a ritual for presidents to be threatened, since the
commencement of democratic practice in the Fourth Republic. Both
President Olusegun Obasanjo and Umaru Musa Yar’Adua were threatened
about the same time, in their various governments, as Jonathan is now
being threatened. Curiously, the two presidents before Jonathan were
also accused and threatened for not implementing the budget.
On August 13, 2012, when Ghali Umar Na’Abba was speaker, the House moved
against Obasanjo. In July 2009, the House moved against Yar’Adua. Now,
in July 2012,the house is moving against Jonathan. The interpretation
given to the coincidence of the threat coming almost every season and at
the same time from the House is that the purpose is political. To
ordinary citizens, it is mere political manoeuvering. But keen watchers
of political development said it is not unconnected with the preparation
for the 2015 general election.
Said a source in government: “The truth of the matter is that members of
the House are already gearing up for 2015. They have to prepare ground
to have whatever they need to garner enough resources for the general
election and this is the time to start. Nigerians may think that 2015 is
far away but politicians think ahead.
“What you need to ask yourself is why is it that presidents are usually
threatened about the same time of the year? I expect that people should
figure out things for themselves. As far as members of the House are
concerned, this is the time for negotiation. They are politicians and
you should expect that they would deny any such accusation made against
them. The claim that they want to ensure the implementation of the
budget for the sake of the people is mere political talks. Note that the
senate has distanced itself from the threat to impeach the president,” a
former senator remarked.”
In the past, there were complaints that the National Assembly unduly
increased the budget proposals presented by the executive and that this
time the Senate and the House passed the budget virtually as presented
by the executive. Some people see it as a trap, explaining why the House
takes the non-implementation of the budget seriously. The House had
said that it has crossed the Rubicon and that it would never be
blackmailed into abandoning its planned impeachment move against
Jonathan unless he fully implements the 2012 budget by September. The
president has made it clear that full implementation of the budget by
September is not possible.
The statement of the House on the impeachment notice reads in part:
“Arising from Thursday, July 19, 2012, plenary which discussed
extensively on the snail speed implementation of the 2012 Appropriation
Act by Mr. President and the attendant ultimatum issued that if by
September 30, 2012, when the House resumes from recess, there is no
marked improvement, the House would be left with no choice than to
initiative impeachment proceedings.
“For the avoidance of doubt, whilst we are aware that all
revenue-generating agencies have surpassed their annual target by mid
year, the House is worried that this positive development did not
reflect on the implementation of the budget for the benefit of the
Nigerian people.
“This trend, if not arrested, would worsen the already fragile state of
the nation, hence the need for our quick intervention. To then insinuate
that the House of Representatives took this noble step to satisfy
pressure from a political party or because the constituency projects
were not awarded to members or because of the drama that followed the
presentation of the fuel subsidy report is, to say the least, malicious,
damaging and uncharitable to the image of the Assembly.”
Spokesman of the House, Zakari Mohammed said, “This bold and patriotic
step by the Seventh Assembly has attracted different comments from a lot
of quarters, expectedly; therefore some sponsored editorials and
commentaries chose to deliberately misinform the public on the rationale
behind our nationalistic stand.
In retrospect, when on August 13th, 2002, the House of Representatives
under the leadership of Ghali N’aba almost impeached President Obasanjo
for non- implementation of 2002 budget. Within a shot period, the
impeachable offences compiled grew up to 18. But respected Nigerians
intervened and the impeachment move was stalled.”
