THERE was a mild drama during plenary in the upper chamber of the National Assembly on Thursday as senators of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) staged a walkout.
The PDP senators decided to walk out after a move to commence impeachment proceedings against President Muhammadu Buhari was blocked by Senate President Ahmad Lawan.
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The Minority Leader of the Senate Phillip Aduda had raised a point of order asking the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, to discuss the security situation in the country and Buhari’s impeachment.
Aduda said, “At our closed-door meeting, we agreed that we will discuss the issue of security at plenary and then ask the President on what to do. We agreed that if he didn’t execute them, we will commence an impeachment notice to President Muhammadu Buhari.”
Lawan, who presided over the plenary, however, declined the request of the minority leader, stating that his point of order fell short of the rule of law.
“That notice falls short of what the rule book says. You didn’t cite any part of our rules and I can’t tolerate it. You didn’t consult me. So, I can’t allow it.”
The opposition senators had earlier in 2018 called for the impeachment of the President for not seeking the National Assembly’s approval before withdrawing $496 million used for the purchase of aircraft from the United States.
'Niyi worked with The ICIR as an Investigative Reporter and Fact-checker from 2020 till September 2022. You can shoot him an email via niyioyedeji1@gmail.com. You can as well follow him on Twitter via @niyi_oyedeji.