No plan to impeach Buhari

ABUJA — The Senate, yesterday, rebuffed
insinuations of a plot to initiate

impeachment proceedings against President
Muhammadu Buhari, saying such
suggestions were speculative.
The Senate's disavowal came as Senator
Dino Melaye also denied the claim but
confirmed the altercation between himself
and Senator Remi Tinubu, which he claimed
was sparked by her use of provocative
words against him.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party,
PDP, yesterday, said it would not speak on
the alleged impeachment threats against
President Buhari. National chairman of the
party, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, said the
issue remained entirely within the ambit of
the legislature.
The Chief Chekwas Okorie-led United
Peoples Party, UPP, was, however, not
restrained in its reaction, describing any
impeachment plot as satanic and
subversive.
The Senate in a statement by its
spokesperson, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi,
said the comments credited to the National
Secretary of the APC, Mai Bala Buni, could
give credibility to a news item which
members of the public had disregarded.
He said: ”We expected the party to, at least,
explore all the options open to it to verify
that piece of fabrication which is only the
figment of the imagination of the writers
and their sponsors.
"It should be clear to the APC leadership
that if there is any truth to that story, it
should have been credited to a particular
senator who was at the executive session.
“It is evident from our proceedings of
yesterday (Wednesday) that the Senate
itself was shocked that such a fabrication,
which constitutes a breach of the privileges
of the senators, was published and that was
why we mandated our Committee on Ethics,
Privileges, and Public Petitions to investigate
the source and circumstances leading to
the emergence of such a fabrication.
“We will like to assure the party that the
Senate, as an institution, values the present
democracy in our country and will not do
anything that will undermine or weaken the
system.”
Okorie, Olujimi, Abaribe react
Deputy Minority Whip, Senator Biodun
Olujimi, also, yesterday, took a swipe at the
APC on the alleged impeachment threat,
saying the ruling party itself was confused.
“I do not understand what they are saying,”
he said.
Also speaking to Vanguard, Chairman,
Senate Committee on Information and
National Orientation, Senator Enyinnaya
Abaribe (PDP, Abia South), who noted that
there was nothing to discuss on
impeachment as there was nothing of such,
said the APC was becoming “very
apprehensive.”
Chief Okorie, on his part, cautioned the
Senate against wielding the impeachment
weapon.
Okorie, in a statement made available to
newsmen in Enugu yesterday, said: ”The
threats emanating from some persons in the
National Assembly to commence
impeachment proceedings against President
Muhammadu Buhari for unspecified
impeachable offences at this point in time
are satanic, subversive and dangerous.
“It should be erased completely from the
minds of those contemplating such move.
Any such act of vengeance will be most
unpopular, unpatriotic and condemnable. All
hands must be on deck to salvage our
country from its present state of economic
downturn, excruciating poverty and security
challenges.
“In the spirit of separation of powers, as
clearly defined in the 1999 Constitution of
Nigeria as amended, it behoves on the
National Assembly and its leadership to
submit themselves to the judicial process
with regard to the on-going trial of some top
officers of the Senate on forgery
accusation.”