Insecurity: Opposition Senators walkout on Lawan, threaten to impeach Buhari in 6 months

• As lawmakers adjourn to September 20 for annual recess

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

Opposition lawmakers in the red Chamber, cutting across party lines, yesterday walked out on the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, even as they threatened to commence impeachment proceedings against President Muhammadu Buhari in six months time, should the worsening insecurity across the country continue.

The lawmakers who chanted songs like ‘Buhari must go’, stormed out of the Senate chambers to brief waiting journàlists, where they also said that the Senate President should follow after Buhari in the impeachment lineup.

Trouble started when the Senate Minority Leader, Philip Tanimu Aduda raised a point of order for the Senate to deliberate on issues raised at the closed door session which lasted for two solid hours.

The Senate President, after the closed door session, had announced that issues relating to smooth running of the Senate and unity in Nigeria were deliberated upon, but instructed the leader of the Senate to proceed with items listed on the order paper.

Angered by the development, the Senate Minority leader, raised a point of order, calling for deliberation on issues discussed at the closed door session.

“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 Muhammadu Buhari an ultimatum on urgent basis to stop the worsening security situation or face impeachment”, he said.

However, as a measure to douse tension in the chamber which was already boiling up, Lawan quickly interrupted Senator Aduda, saying that his point of order fell flat on it face since he did not discuss it with him.

He thereafter, instructed the leader of the Senate to proceed with items on the order paper.

In a spontaneous reaction to this comment by Lawan, 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 ….”.

Speaking on behalf of the Senators when they later came to brief journàlists, the Minority Leader, Philip Tanimu 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.

“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 closed door session for two hours, where it was resolved that the issue will be deliberated upon in plenary with agreed resolution to give President Muhamnadu Buhari six weeks to address it or face impeachment by both Chambers of the National Assembly.

“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”, he said.

However, the Senate President, in his closing remarks before the adjournment of the Senate said all senators are worried and concerned about the security situation in the country.

He said an emergency session may be held during the long recess if the need arises.

Aside from all the PDP Senators who participated in the protest, other Senators like Enyinnaya Abaribe (APGA Abia South), Ibrahim Shekarau (NNPP Kano Central), Francis Onyewuchi (Imo East, LP), Adamu Bulkashuwa (APC, Bauchi North, also joined.