Number of pro-impeachment Reps rises to 168

Moves by members of the House of Representatives to impeach President Goodluck Jonathan may be gathering momentum, as a Peoples Daily report say a total number of 168 members have signed up to impeach the president as at Sunday.

It will be recalled that report had it that moves to impeach the president commenced shortly after the fracas at the National Assembly on Thursday last week when the police blocked the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal from entering the assembly complex.

According to the report, the impeachment plot has spread to the Senate with a growing number of senators getting increasingly enthusiastic to team up with the Reps to get the President removed.

A member of the House, who preferred anonymity, disclosed that the President has breached and violated the 1999 constitution and is therefore liable to be impeached under section 143 of the constitution. “I want to hereby submit that, come December 3 we will begin to invoke and draw up articles of impeachment of Mr. President”, he declared

Speaking on the seriously members attached to the impeachment move, the member said: “I want to assure you that we are committed this time around and no amount of blackmail or intimidation would cow us to abdicate our constitutional responsibility, which we signed with our employers the (Nigerian people) to stand firm and protect their interest, what is more interesting is that majority of the lawmakers that signed the impeachment notice are members of the PDP.”

Quoting another source, the report indicates that the leaders have been meeting to plan how to convince and win other senators to buy into and support the pro-impeachment lawmakers, adding that things will get clearer by Tuesday when the Senate is expected to resume plenary.

Reacting, House Deputy Majority Leader, Leo Ogor explained that the issue of impeachment in respect of this subject matter is totally inconsequential. “I don’t think Mr. President has anything to do with what happened. I believe that the president should be totally isolated from this matter.
Speaking on an alleged plot to impeach the Speaker by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers, Rep Ogor said “this issue of impeachment, I’ve always looked at it from a constitutional point of view. To impeach a speaker, you will need 2/3 majority of the House. But beyond that is the issue of moral burden. And I’ve told you categorically that the issue will be discussed internally.  He said