The Chief Whip of the Senate, Orji Uzor Kalu, has dismissed the threat to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari over the country’s insecurity as “mere gossip”.
Opposition lawmakers had threatened to kickstart impeachment proceedings against Buhari if the security situation is not improved after six weeks. However, critics described the move as an ’empty threat’ considering the stringent process for impeaching a president as contained in section 143 of the 1999 constitution (as amended).
Kalu said that no lawmaker is talking about impeaching Buhari owing to the improved security situation. He added that any attempt to raise the issue on the floor of the Senate will fail as the ruling party has the required numbers to defend the president.
The lawmaker, in a chat with journalists at the National Assembly complex in Abuja on Tuesday, said “The issue of impeachment is a non-existing issue. Nobody is talking about it. Even if they try, they will fail because we have the numbers to resist it.
“President Buhari has done well in some areas and failed in some areas. The impeachment threat is mere gossip. It is not possible. I know that senators were agitating about insecurity. You can see that the security situation is improving.
“Generally, there is a daily improvement in security. We want to see that the tempo is sustained. When the tempo is sustained, no senator will mention impeachment of the president on the floor of the Senate.”
