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Aminu Tambuwal Must Be Impeached – Presidency, PDP Insists

Published

10 years ago

November 3, 2014

President Goodluck Jonathan has given Peoples Democratic Party, PDP lawmakers the order to ensure that the Speaker of the House of Representatives is removed from office.
Sources close to the presidency revealed that the president who could not hide his anger told some ranking members of the House at a meeting held at the Presidential Villa on Friday night to immediately start moves towards Tambuwal’s ouster.
He blamed them for allowing the speaker to exhibit such control over the lawmakers without protecting his own interest.
The source further explained that “we had to apologise to him and promised to carry out his instructions as to how to remove the speaker”.
“Towards this end, we’ve summoned all our members to reach Abuja tomorrow, unfailingly to attend a meeting with our party leaders “.
Another top ranking member of the House who spoke to Vanguard under the condition of anonymity said “why we are angry with Tambuwal is simple-he betrayed the collective trust of we PDP lawmakers”.
“He became speaker because we believed in him and he rode on our back to achieve his dreams”.
“Then barely 48hours after at the APC convention he went berserk and started calling PDP names that was a serious betrayal of trust and this was where he shot himself on the foot”.
The Vanguard through an impeccable source gathered that a 4-term lawmaker, Bashir Adamu, PDP, Jigawa has been tipped to replace Tambuwal.
Also on the table to be considered is Hon Usman Kumho, but from all indications he does not have a strong support base to become speaker.
Their game plan, according to the source is that “we will frustrate him out of office and ensure we remove him citing the fact that his defection did not follow due process”.
“Though we are aware that he may go to court to quash it but the damage must have been perpetuated and the court may not decide until after May28 and by then this House must have been rested”.
On the grand design to impeach Emeka Ihedioha, the Deputy Speaker, the source said”it is virtually impossible because we can’t lose two strong PDP lawmakers”.
“We’ve lost Tambuwal, Ihedioha remains for now and that is not really our challenge”.
The source further added that the PDP and the presidency cannot afford to lose both men at the same time and so, would tread cautiously.
He boasted that Ihedioha is now a big asset to the party, stressing that removing him would crash PDP ship in the House.
He said though there was pressure on the deputy speaker from some quarters to get Ihedioha on the move against Tambuwal, he would rather not compromise his relationship with his boss.
Also, another PDP lawmaker who spoke to Vanguard on the condition of anonymity said that even if PDP heeded the call of giving automatic ticket to lawmakers as widely reported, the idea to impeach Tambuwal would still fail.
In any case, the lawmaker said that none of them was ready to play politics of impeachment at the moment given the fact that every lawmaker has returned to their constituency to fight for tickets.
“Look, they are only playing politics. I can tell you that no PDP lawmaker is ready to vote for Tambuwal’s impeachment. Even if there would be anything like that, it can’t be now. Everyone has gone home to fight for his/her return. The primaries are almost here.
“The only time we expect issues and controversy that may generate heat in the House will be when Tambuwal upon the resumption of the House decides to pursue APC’s agenda. At that point, we will fight them with our number since we have the majority in the House. That means that we will resort to calling for a division on issues before anything can be done”, the source stressed.
Also lending his voice, an APC lawmaker from Rivers State, Hon. Ogbonna Nwuke said that the PDP lawmakers did not have the required two third majority to oust the Speaker.
According to him, the only way such could happen was if some lawmakers for APC decide to betray the party which he said was impossible.
He said: “Let me say this to you. It is not possible for PDP lawmakers to muster two third majority. They don’t have it. The only way they can get that is if some APC lawmakers decide to betray the party. But that is not possible.”
Source: Vanguard