The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the National Assembly to immediately initiate impeachment processes against President Buhari for allegedly violating his oath of office through the twisting of the law against perceived opponents and in favour of his supporters.
In a statement by its spokesman, Dayo Adeyeye, in Abuja, the PDP expressed dismay that the president could simply replace Babachir Lawal, former SGF with Mustapha without subjecting him to prosecution.
“The statement on the sack of Lawal and Oke is a slap on the face of Nigerians. It is an insult to the-collective intelligence of our people who have waited patiently for the president’s reaction on the humongous act of corruption by two of his principal aides and this is totally unacceptable.
“First, we had disagreed with the president last year when he decided to set up the panel to investigate the matter because we thought that was the wrong course of action to take.
“Ordinarily, cases of corruption or alleged cases of misappropriation of funds are supposed to be referred to institutions that are saddled with the responsibility to investigate and prosecute such matters which is the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and the EFCC if there is any prima facie case against them.”
In the statement, the PDP lamented that “it appears not all animals are equal under the Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration. Some people are treated with kid gloves while others, particularly those in opposition are subjected to all manner of harrowing experiences.
“One of the senators of the APC, Shehu Sani of Kaduna State succinctly put the matter when he said that this administration uses deodorant to fight corruption when it comes to some APC members and President Buhari’s kitchen cabinet and insecticides when it involves members of the opposition and those in the National Assembly.”
PDP lamented that “it took the president almost one year to attend to this matter while the culprits were having a field day at home and enjoying themselves. Whereas, in the case of the opposition, especially the PDP members, even when the evidence is flimsy, they will be visited with multiple harassment and intimidation for months and weeks without proper trial.
“We cited the case of Sambo Dasuki who has been in detention for over two years and running. Even when many courts in Nigeria and the ECOWAS Court have ordered his release, the president has fragrantly disobeyed these court orders which again are a violation of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This is an impeachable offence. The president cannot just sack Oke and Lawal and expects us to be clapping for him.”
Condemning alleged disregard for the rule of law, the PDP said: “We believe that we are operating under a democracy and a constitution that governs our affairs. To have subjected these people to different sets of rule and treatment is totally unacceptable. Nigerians are the same under the law and Lawal and Oke should not be tried by the presidency while others are hounded by the EFCC and ICPC.
“These actions of Mr. President are therefore a breach of his oath of office which he swore to defend. It is also a violation of the constitution because he swore to be fair and just to all Nigerians without any discrimination whatsoever. The action of the president is a gross violation of his constitutional oath and therefore constitutes a veritable ground for impeachment.”
PDP described the sudden sacking of the SGF and the NIA boss as a consequence of the Abdulrasheed Maina saga. “Up till now there’s no answer to the pertinent questions we have asked on the Maina saga. The government cares less about the feelings and opinions of Nigerians. This kind of arrogance is unprecedented in the history of this county.
“We again call for the arrest and investigation of the two ministers involved in the return of Maina into the civil service, that is, the Minister of Interior, Bello Dambazau and the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Malami.”
