IMPEACHMENT: I Don’t Trust Those Lawmakers – Gani Adams

 

Iba Gani Adams, the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, has said the National Assembly cannot be trusted on their threat to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari over the worsening security situation in the country.

Opposition lawmakers, both at the Senate and House of Representatives, recently reaffirmed their resolve to impeach the president if he fails to tame insecurity within the six-week grace they gave him to perform.

The lawmakers gave the ultimatum after terrorists successfully launched separate attacks on troops and the Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. The militants, who attacked the Presidential Guards Brigade at Bwari-Kubwa road, Abuja, killed a captain, lieutenant and six soldiers, while others sustained injuries.

The officers were buried last week Thursday. The attack by the Islamic State West Africa Province terrorists at the Custodial Centre, Abuja, resulted in the release of 69 Boko Haram commanders and hundreds of felons on July 5. This happened 24 hours after suspected terrorists also attacked the president’s advance team in Katsina.

Speaking exclusively with Daily Independent, Adams, who noted that the federal lawmakers have been compromised, said things wouldn’t have degenerated to this level if the National Assembly had put the presidency on its toes.

According to him, impeaching the president with less than 10 months to the completion of his tenure will only plunge the nation into an avoidable crisis, especially with the general elections around the corner.

He said, “I am not interested in the issue of impeaching the president. I don’t trust those lawmakers. They can threaten to impeach the president but when they grease their palms, nothing will happen at the end of the day.

“Assuming as federal lawmakers, they have performed their duties well and put the government on its toes, things will not degenerate to this level.

They are not good parliamentarians. They have been compromised. That is why I don’t take them seriously when they threaten to impeach the president. “In a democracy, we have three organs of government.

The executive, legislature and the judiciary. If the executive is not performing its functions well, it is the duty of the legislative arm of government to check its excesses. But they did nothing all this while and are now issuing impeachment threats when Mr. President has just less than 10 months to complete his tenure. By doing so, you will put us in another confusion”.

Adams also bemoaned the worsening security situation in the country, saying Nigeria is getting closer to where countries like Somalia and Afghanistan are today.

The Yoruba generalissimo also described as worrisome the security situation in the South-East region of the country and the failure of the Federal Government to find a political solution to it.

He said, “From the way things are, we are moving to the stage where Somalia and Afghanistan are today. From the reports we are getting from the North-West, North-East and North-Central and the fact that the government cannot find a political solution to the crisis in the South-East is worrisome.

“Today, the South-East has become a crisis-ridden region. If a police station is not burnt today, an INEC official will be killed tomorrow. If the INEC office is not burnt today, a prominent person will be killed tomorrow. Even few days ago, about 50 commuters who were traveling on a major road were kidnapped by Fulani herdsmen.

Look at the Owo massacre, an incident we have never witnessed in the history of Yorubaland.

“It was confirmed by the government that ISWAP members attacked a Catholic Church in Owo where many were killed and hundreds injured.

So, it is clear that Nigeria is moving to the stage of Somalia and Afghanistan on the issue of insecurity”.

He said history will not be kind to President Buhari if he fails to act fast in addressing the insecurity crisis in the country and restructuring the country which his party promised to do if voted into power. “Mr. President should realise that he has just 10 months to leave the seat of power and if he doesn’t act fast, history will not be kind to him especially on the issue of insecurity and structural lapses in Nigeria which they failed to do justice to”.