A Presidency statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, in Abuja also threatened to charge the spokesman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Lai Mohammed, for treasonable felony over his alleged fostering of public insurrection in the country.
Impeach Jonathan now —APC
The All Progressives Congress (APC) had asked the National Assembly to rise beyond partisanship and save Nigeria from imminent collapse by immediately kick-starting the process of impeaching President Goodluck Jonathan for gross misconduct.
In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said it is issuing this call with a high sense of responsibility and the strong belief that the impeachment of the president is a legitimate constitutional option available to the National Assembly not only to protect the nation’s democracy but also to ensure the country’s unity.
‘’Our country is drifting dangerously and our people are divided now, perhaps more than at any other point in our history, with the exception of the civil war period. There is a total failure of leadership, even as insecurity, unprecedented corruption, palpable impunity, massive unemployment and hunger stalk the land.
“Since the raison d’etre of any government is the security and welfare of the citizenry, and the present administration has failed to live up to the justification of its existence, there can be no other definition of gross misconduct than that.
“Therefore, the time has come for the head of that government, on whose desk the buck stops, to be removed through the provisions stipulated in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This is the patriotic thing to do,’’ it said.
APC warned that if the National Assembly fails to act and do so very fast, it will share with the clueless and feckless Jonathan Administration the eternal blame for bringing to naught the hard work of the nation’s heroes past and for crashing and dashing the hopes of millions of Nigerians, especially the youth who are the leaders of tomorrow.
The party said it is necessary for anyone who may say the call for the impeachment of President Jonathan is outlandish to remember that all it takes to torpedo this democracy is for this increasingly-paranoid government to get a pliant judge to put a judicial stamp on just one of its litany of illegalities, thus setting the country ablaze, adding: “And there are many such judges as we can see by some recent events, despite our warnings that the efforts of the current CJN to clean up the judiciary must not be sabotaged by a few pliant judges.
“One such scenario is the present challenge in court by the PDP of the defection to the APC of five state governors. The PDP has gone to court fully aware of the ruling of the Supreme Court after the party (PDP) attempted to make then Vice President Atiku Abubakar to lose his seat and to also strip him of his privileges following his defection to the ACN.
“What then can be the sole motive behind the PDP’s action: To plunge Nigeria into chaos! This is why we issued a strong warning in our statement of Dec. 5th thus: ‘We wish to state unequivocally that should the PDP go ahead with this plan, there will be widespread repercussions as the APC has resolved that henceforth, every act of impunity of the PDP and the Presidency will be met with stiff resistance in the form of a vociferous telegraphing of people power, the likes of which have not been witnessed in these parts’.
“We reiterate those words today, and make bold to say that not even the revelation by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, that snipers are being trained secretly and that 1,000 people have been placed on political watch, will deter us from saving this democracy, which was watered by the sweat and blood of many patriots, long before this generation of opportunists stormed the political scene,’’ it said.
APC said while Nigerians are very much aware of the failings of this government in all sectors, it is important to remind them that the government has in particular not been up to scratch in fighting corruption, which is the fastest way to bring a nation to its knees; Insecurity, which has worsened so much that even those saddled with the security of protecting the nation are being attacked and killed at will; Impunity, which is best exemplified in Rivers State where a Commissioner of Police no longer takes orders from the Inspector General.
The party said the government has also failed to provide jobs for Nigerian youths, even as it daily reels out phantom figures of economic growth that only serve to keep the so-called Ivy League-trained officials in charge of the economy on their jobs; And that electricity generation has so plummeted that many will celebrate the forthcoming Yuletide in darkness.
‘’The talk out there now is that Nigeria has never had it so bad. But the government may not know because it has distanced itself from the people. Therefore, for embracing corruption so much and providing succour to corrupt public officials; for threatening the country’s fragile unity through divisive policies and politics, for frittering away the nation’s resources through unprecedented cronyism and clannishness, and for a total failure of leadership, this President deserves to be slammed with the cudgel of impeachment,’’ it said.
Presidency reacts
According to the Presidency, “the APC’s false copy-cat allegation that 1,000 snipers are being trained by the Jonathan Administration clearly shows that they are now in cahoots with some other elements who are bent on discrediting this administration and inciting the public against it.
“President Jonathan is running a people’s government. He does not need any snipers. His legitimacy comes from the people. Those who are alleging the existence of snipers should step forward and provide the evidence or shut up forever and go down in history as spineless cowards, driven by sheer greed and indecency.”
The Presidency noted with utter disdain, “the reckless and irresponsible call by the APC on Sunday for the National Assembly to commence impeachment proceedings against President Goodluck Jonathan.”
It added: “Ordinarily, we would not have dignified Alhaji Lai Mohammed’s latest vituperations in the service of his paymasters with a response, but we thought it necessary to warn that the Federal Government will not standby idly and let the nation be plunged into unnecessary crises and political instability because of the desperation and apparent readiness of the APC spokesman and his gang of power-seeking desperadoes to sacrifice the well-being of the country on the altar of their selfish personal ambitions.
“The Presidency totally condemns the decision by Alhaji Mohammed and his party to move further beyond the bounds of honourable and acceptable political conduct with the senseless call for the impeachment of a President who continues to sincerely devote himself to the discharge of the sacred mandate freely given to him by Nigerians.
“The APC, which remains a minority party with doubtful credentials in the National Assembly, knows fully well that its attempt to hector and blackmail a parliament dominated by loyal members of the President’s party, the PDP, into an impeachment process, will come to nothing.
“But it has cavalierly embarked on this outrageous gambit, with scant regard for peace, order, security and political stability in the country, in furtherance of its dastardly and heinous strategy of over-heating the polity and working to cause public disaffection against the Jonathan Presidency with lies, false accusations and unjustifiable indictments ahead of the 2015 general elections.
“The emptiness and hollowness of the APC’s call for President Jonathan’s impeachment will be obvious to all objective and discerning Nigerians who read through the statement issued by Alhaji Mohammed today. It was long on self-serving rhetoric and falsehoods, but lacked a single clearly defined charge on the basis of which any plausible impeachment proceedings against the President can be initiated.
“All that the APC could offer in justification of its absurd and hare-brained impeachment call was a rehash of its well-worn litany of baseless accusations against the President, including some for which culpability should be laid squarely at the doorsteps of its own leaders and some of their new friends.
“The
Presidency also considers it utterly deplorable that the APC has, in
its Machiavellian desperation to seize control of the Federal
Government, recklessly assailed the integrity and honour of the Nigerian
Judiciary in a callous attempt to pre-empt the outcome of the case
legitimately brought against it and some of its new friends by the PDP.“Alhaji Mohammed’s unscrupulous effort to drag the nation’s judiciary into its murky political warfare and his readiness to intimidate and blackmail members of the bench so as to secure a favourable outcome for his party in the pending case clearly shows that nothing is beyond the pale for him and the APC in pursuit of their quest for power.
“The Jonathan Administration does not need Lai Mohammed or the APC to remind it of its constitutional responsibility for the security and well-being of Nigerians. The President will continue to do his utmost best to achieve positive national transformation in all areas in spite of efforts by the opposition to thwart or disparage the work of his administration.
“In this regard, we have noted the undisguised threat by the APC to foster public insurrection against the Federal Government if pending legal cases go against it. We urge Nigerians to take special note of this boastful indication of an intention to resort to lawlessness.
“The Presidency warns that the APC and any persons who make themselves its willing tools for the breach of public order and safety will be made to face the full sanctions of the law. Those who are threatening fire and brimstone should be ready for consequences of treasonable action,” the stated said.
While dismissing the APC’s call for the President’s impeachment as “opportunistic, partisan and ill-motivated,” the Presidency called on patriots to “make the necessary distinction between such reckless violations of civic duty and the urgent need to protect the integrity of the Nigerian nation against those who for selfish reasons have declared their readiness to stop at nothing.”
APC wants to truncate democracy —PDP
The PDP has slammed calls for the impeachment of President Goodluck Jonathan, describing the statement credited to Alhaji Lai Mohammed, as a push to truncate democracy.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh,the PDP said the statement is “irresponsible, immature, self seeking and part of their larger agenda to truncate democracy in Nigeria.
“Upon their realization that they will not win in the 2015 general elections following the failure of their plans to break the ranks and strength of the PDP, they now seek to use all means to cause confusion in the land,” the statement said.
Vowing that the PDP is ready, willing and able to stop the APC in its tracks, the PDP said” the APC knows the implication of the call which is to cause massive turmoil and destroy the unity of our dear nation.”
Why OBJ is angry with Jonathan
Details have emerged as to the reasons that propelled former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, to write the open letter he forwarded to President Goodluck Jonathan, which called the attention of the president to a number of issues.
This came as sources to the former president hinted and maintained that there was no formal or any breakfast meeting between President Jonathan and Chief Obasanjo as widely reported.
Sources in the polity told the Nigerian Tribune on Thursday that the feud between Jonathan and Obasanjo got to a head, after the governorship election in Anambra State.
It was gathered that the refusal of Jonathan to ensure the emergence of Senator Andy Ubah as gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state was the last straw that shattered the relationship between the duo.
Sources stated that Obasanjo had practically lobbied Jonathan to ensure the emergence of Ubah as governorship candidate in Anambra, but was shocked to see that the PDP had blocked the way for his choice.
It was gathered that Obasanjo even attempted to water the ground earlier in the year, by intervening in the G7 uprising, as a way of convincing Jonathan of his sincerity in ensuring peace in the party.
Besides the Anambra matter, a source further said the former president was also angered by the decision of the PDP to render him impotent in the Ogun State chapter of the party, as well as the removal of Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola as national secretary of the party.
Jonathan, who had refused to join issues with Obasanjo directly, was also said to have ensured the influence of the former president was contained within the PDP.
A source said loyalists of President Jonathan had decided to curtail the influence of Oyinlola and others, seen as possible loyalists of the former president ahead of time.
One other sin of President Jonathan was said to be his refusal to ensure the emergence of Obasanjo’s loyalist as Ondo State governor.
Obasanjo had strongly backed the PDP candidate in the governorship election, Chief Olusola Oke, but Jonathan insisted on a free and fair election, which led to the victory of incumbent governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko.
A source in the know said “the former president is angry about a lot of things. The issue did not start today. He was angry that Jonathan did not do all he could to stop the Speaker, Honourable Aminu Tambuwal, from emerging as leader of the House of Representatives in 2011.
“He is equally angered that Jonathan started a weeding process in PDP, which left his loyalists out of contention. Right now, the PDP in Ogun State, his home, is out of his control.
“Above all, he (Obasanjo) felt that he could stomach those things if his candidate would be adopted in the Anambra governorship election. But he was shocked to discover that Ubah was equally blocked.”
It was gathered that though Obasanjo had advised the G7 governors not to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC), he decided to turn the heat on Jonathan when it appeared that he would announce his re-election plans in 2014.
Before now, the former president was said to have sent emissaries to Jonathan to advise him on the need to avoid the 2015 race, a source said, adding that while those sources did not tell the president that Obasanjo was sending the message, the presidency immediately decoded them.
“We were shocked to see some emissaries visit the Villa and talk in subtle tones about 2015. We wondered why they were concerned about 2015 and later discovered that it was all Obasanjo’s game.
“He does not want a situation where Jonathan will succeed in 2015 and thereby rubbish his record of achievements,” a source said.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Tribune has got details of what transpired between the president and Chief Obasanjo at Intercontinental Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya, last Thursday.
According to sources close to the former president, what happened there was not to resolve any issue.
“President Jonathan learnt that Chief Obasanjo was in the hotel and sent emmissaries to him that he would like to pay homage to him, which the former president declined and said the honour must be given to whom it is due.
“So Chief Obasanjo, instead, went to pay homage to the president,” the source said.
He also informed further that when they got there, the table was set before the president and Jonathan asked the visiting former president to join him, an offer the former president declined.
“But when the president insisted, Chief Obasanjo only picked a fruit and that was all,” the source added
According to the source, he said former President Obasanjo “cannot discuss such weighty issues as contained in the letter during a breakfast,” while he also maintained that the letter was not leaked by Obasanjo, but possibly by moles in the presidency, who wanted to embarrass the president.
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