Headlines
Opposition Senators Walk Out on Lawan over Refusal to Honour Motion for Buhari’s Impeachment
Some senators walked out on the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, on Wednesday, after he allegedly refused the Minority Leader, Senator Philip Aduda, to allow them to lead the motion on the impeachment of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Aduda and some other senators of the Peoples Democratic Party then walked out of the plenary.
It was learnt that some lawmakers that were displeased with the worsening security situation in the country had threatened to impeach the President.
It was learnt that at the commencement of the plenary on Tuesday, the lawmakers questioned the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, on why the issue of insecurity was not in the Order Paper.
He said, “Mr. President, I raised this point of order to bring to the front burner, issues deliberated upon at the closed-door session.
“Resolution made by all senators at the closed-door session which lasted for two hours was to further deliberate on it in plenary and arrive at a resolution to give President Buhari ultimatum on an urgent basis to stop the worsening security situation or face impeachment.”
To gauge the issue, the Senate President quickly interrupted him by saying that his point of order fell flat on his face since he didn’t discuss it with him.
He thereafter instructed the leader of the Senate to proceed with items on the Order Paper.
In a response to the development, all senators across the opposition parties led by the Minority Leader, Philip Tanimu Aduda, stormed out of the chamber chanting “All we are saying, Buhari must go, Nigeria must survive, Ahmad Lawan should follow.”
The protesting senators including Adamu Bulkachuwa (All Progressives Congress – Bauchi North) later gathered at the Senate Press Centre to disclose what transpired during the closed-door session.
Speaking on behalf of the senators, the Minority Leader, Philip Aduda, said their anger was fueled by the refusal of the Senate President to follow resolutions taken by senators across party lines at the closed-door session.
He said, “We are here to tell Nigerians that as senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, we are disappointed with the way the worsening security situation across the country is being handled.
“We held a closed-door session for two hours, where it was resolved that the issue will be deliberated upon in plenary with an agreed resolution to give President Muhamnadu Buhari six weeks to address it or face impeachment by both chambers of the National Assembly.”
Aduda added, “Our walking out of the chamber is to express our disappointment in the way the matter was later handled by the Senate President.
“President Buhari has been given all he wanted in terms of adequate funding of the security agencies but nothing to show for it. He needs to shape up or ship out.”
Aside from all the PDP senators who participated in the walkout, other senators like Enyinnaya Abaribe (All Progressives Grand Alliance -Abia South), Ibrahim Shekarau ( New Nigeria Peoples Party – Kano Central), Francis Onyewuchi (Imo East), etc, also joined.
The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (NWC) has suspended the National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade; National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu; Deputy Legal Adviser, Okechukwu Osuoha; and National Organizing Secretary, Umaru Bature for one month.
The suspension comes on the heels of the judgement of the Federal High Court On Friday, which stopped the party’s planned national convention.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, told journalists in Abuja on Saturday, that the decision followed an emergency meeting of the national working committee, which was held in Abuja.
President Donald Trump of the United States on Friday designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), in response to allegations of widespread persecution and genocide against Christians.
Writing on his Truth Social account, Trump stated that Christianity faces a serious threat in Nigeria.
The US leader also added Nigeria to a State Department watch list.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” Trump wrote.
According to the US president, he was placing Nigeria, Africa’s top oil producer and most populous nation, on a “Countries of Particular Concern” list of nations the US deems to have engaged in religious freedom violations.
According to the State Department’s website, the list includes China, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, and Pakistan, among others.
Trump said he had asked US Representatives Riley Moore and Tom Cole, as well as the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, to look into the matter and report back to him.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has removed Hon. Abubakar Gummi from the House of Representatives after he left the Peoples Democratic Party for the All Progressives Congress.
The lawmaker represented the Gummi/Bukkuyum Federal Constituency in Zamfara State.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu delivered the ruling, holding that Gummi’s defection breached the Constitution.
The court said the seat does not belong to any politician but to the political party that sponsored the election.
According to the judgment, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, is barred from recognising Gummi “as a member representing Gummi/Bukkuyum Federal Constituency.”
The judge also instructed the Independent National Electoral Commission to “conduct a fresh election” for the vacant seat within 30 days.
The case was instituted by the PDP and its Zamfara chairman, who insisted that Gummi’s move to the APC had no legal justification. They argued that there was no division in the PDP to support his defection, as required by Section 68(1)(g) of the Constitution.
Gummi, through his counsel, claimed he left the PDP due to internal crises which he said made it “impossible” to serve his constituents effectively. The judge, however, dismissed his arguments and granted all the reliefs requested by the plaintiffs.
Justice Egwuatu, in a firm comment, warned politicians against what he described as reckless party hopping.
“Political prostitution must not be rewarded,” he declared, adding that lawmakers must not transfer votes won on one party’s platform to another party.
The court also ordered Gummi to refund all salaries and allowances received from October 30, 2024, until the date of judgment. He is also barred from earning any further benefits as a member of the House.
Additionally, the judge imposed a N500,000 cost against the defendants in favour of the PDP.
