Senators on Thursday supported the move by some members of the House of Representatives for the impeachment of President Muhammadu Buhari over the withdrawal of $462 million to pay for 12 Super Tucano jets.
Hon. Kingsley Chinda, who is the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts, had on Tuesday called for President Buhari’s impeachment.
Buhari had approved the withdrawal of the money from the Excess Crude Account for the procurement of the aircraft from the United States of America, without prior approval from the National Assembly.
Kicking against the President’s decision on Thursday, Senator Matthew Urogbide said the decision to withdraw the money from the nation’s treasury without the National Assembly’s approval is a violation of the constitution, adding that the procedure for the expenditure was wrong.
Urogbide thereafter urged the Senate to invoke section 143 of the constitution on the matter.
The section reads in part: “The President or Vice-President may be removed from office in accordance with the provisions of this section.
“Whenever a notice of any allegation in writing signed by not less than one-third of the members of the National Assembly.”
Supporting the impeachment call, Senator Chukwuka Utazi said the lawmakers should not be sitting down and the President “will be taken us for granted,” adding that things should be done the proper way.
In own contribution, Senator Shehu Sani also supported the request to impeach Buhari for violating the provisions of the constitution, adding that the National Assembly should call for the refund of the money from the treasury of the United States of America.
But Senator Abu Ibrahim differed on the matter, arguing that the President’a withdrawal of the money in order to tackle the insecurity problem in the country was right.
Ibrahim recalled that previous presidents have done same thing and nobody called for their impeachment.
Senator Ibn Na’Allah gave the President soft landing, asking the Senate to refer the matter to the Committee on Judiciary and Legal Matters.
According to Na’Allah: “I rise on Section 83 subsection 1 and 2.
“I suggest we forward this matter to the Committee on Judiciary and Legal Matters.
The President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, supported Na’Allah’s position by referring the matter to the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Legal matters.
Saraki added: “I am sure you will all remember that in August 2017, when I got the message from the US Ambassador that the Senate Committee at the Congress of the United States wanted to visit us because they had received a request from President Donald Trump to approve for payment of the Tucano, but they needed Congress approval.
“Congress wanted to come to Nigeria to speak with their counterparts.
”I led the team with members of the House of Representatives and members here in the Senate and we met with the members of Congress on this issue.
“We were aware at that time of the issues.”
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