Jonathan:Don’t abuse clause on impeachment

The impeachment clause in the Constitution of the country was not inserted there with the intention that it be abused, President Goodluck Jonathan said in Abuja yesterday. He spoke at the State House when 27 state Houses of Assembly speakers paid him a visit to condole with him on the October 1 bomb blasts.

Only last week, the Northern Political Leaders Forum [NPLF] led by former Finance Minister Malam Adamu Ciroma called for Jonathan’s impeachment if he did not resign immediately. NPLF made the call following a claim by MEND leader Henry Okah that a presidential aide phoned him and asked that the Niger Delta militant group retract its owning up for the Abuja bomb blast so that Northerners opposed to the president’s 2011 ambition could be blamed instead.

Addressing the speakers yesterday, Jonathan said the frequent impeachment of speakers across the country shows that the country is not politically stable. He said until the impeachment mindset is reduced, the country might not be stable.

He said not too long ago, it was almost a weekly affair to hear that a speaker had been impeached, adding that the fact that impeachment clause is in the constitution does not mean it should be toyed with.

He said, “There was a time that it was almost like an epidemic. Every day, every week and every month you heard one or the other speaker being impeached.” He said until this story of impeachment is drastically reduced to the barest minimum, the nation would never stabilize politically.

He also said “the provision in the constitution that yes, he the president, the vice president, governor, deputy, the speaker and the deputy speaker could be impeached, is not to be abused.

“The idea of every day a speaker is being impeached shows that we are not stable politically. A nation that is stable politically need not carry out impeachment every day.”

He said it is only when there is stability in the polity that the country will realise its economic potentials and called on the lawmakers to support the Federal Government in that direction.

Earlier, leader of the group and the Chairman of Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly Istefanus Haruna Gbana said the group was at the Villa to condole with the President on the loss of lives in the Abuja explosion and to congratulate him on the successful golden jubilee anniversary.

Okah: FG yet to give evidence to S/Africa – Falana

The Federal Government has yet to supply any evidence in the ongoing trial of former leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), Henry Okah, in connection with the October 1 Independence Anniversary celebration bomb blasts in Abuja.

Okah’s counsel, Femi Falana, said this yesterday in Abuja while speaking with newsmen shortly after a meeting with the leadership of All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). He said he had accordingly advised Okah to face his trial in South Africa and not to engage in further argumentation with those who are looking for excuses to justify their incompetence.
Linking no response from Nigerian government to the requests by South Africa to the unorganized nature of Nigerian security network, Falana said it was unthinkable that Nigeria’s security operatives got wind of the impending blasts through intelligence reports from Britain and America and yet could not do anything to prevent it. He said: “The South African government is asking Nigeria to bring evidence, you asked us to search the man’s house, we searched his house two days before the incident happened; you asked us to charge him, we have charged him, bring the evidence. You don’t condemn people on the pages of newspapers and you guys (journalists) can also help them.

“The president says he knows the people, ask him to name them; he says it was not done by MEND, ask the president who did it?”

Falana added: “From what the president disclosed two days ago, in recent times, we have these bomb incidents in Bayelsa, in Rivers, Edo, Delta and he said publicly that no investigation was carried out.

Meanwhile, Falana has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate and unravel the alleged involvement of past president in the illegal withdrawal of the sum of N1.5 trillion from the coffers of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

Falana’s position was sequel to the allegation raised by the management of NNPC at a public hearing organized by the Senate recently.

He also raised alarm over Federal Government’s arbitrary withdrawal of money from Excess Crude Account which he claimed has depleted to $30 billion from the over $45 billion left after the exit of the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo.

Adamawa, Cross River govs join suits against INEC

Governors of Adamawa and Cross-River states yesterday joined three others to challenge the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct governorship elections in their states before a Federal High Court in Abuja.

Governors Murtala Nyako of Adamawa and Liyel Imoke of Cross River joined their counterparts – Ibrahim Idris of Kogi, Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto, and Timiprieye Sylva of Bayelsa – who are already challenging the tenure dispute before the court in a suit seeking to stop the electoral body from conducting governorship election in their state in 2011.

Justice Adamu Bello, while consolidating the suits filed by all the governors who had their elections nullified and re-elected at one time or another, said the matter will be given accelerated hearing.

Justice Bello further gave parties in the suit 14 days within which to file and exchange briefs of argument and adjourned till November 3, 2010 for adoption of briefs of argument by parties involved in the matter.

The governors are asking the court to stop the Peoples Democratic Party PDP from conducting any primaries for the governorship elections in their states.

Governor Idris, in an originating summons, submitted that since he was elected to the office of Governor of Kogi State in a fresh election conducted by INEC and took Oath of Allegiance and Oath of Office on 5th April, 2008, there would be no room for election until 2012. He cited the provision of Section 180 (2) of the 1999 Constitution, which provides for four-year tenure of office for a governor from the day he took the Oath of office and Oath of Allegiance.

Idris wants the court to declare that his tenure would run until April 5, 2012 and that INEC was incompetent to abridge his four year tenure by conducting any election into the office while his tenure subsists.