<http://www.dailytrust.com/news.htm>

Reps release Obasanjo’s 15 impeachable offences today
Signatories now 160


By Hammeed M. Bello

Members of the House of Representatives behind
the move to impeach President Obasanjo will today
release 15 impeachable offences against him, Hon.
Emmanuel Arigbe-Osula said yesterday.
Meanwhile, the number of signatures being
collected for the impeachment rose to 160
yesterday from the 100 figure of the previous day
according to Hon. Bashir Nadabo who is compiling
the list.
The House requires one-third of the total 360
members to kick-start the process of impeachment,
which amounts to 120 members; while a two-third
(240 members) is required to effect the
impeachment on the floor of the House.
Daily Trust reliably gathered that an agreement
has been struck among the members across party
divide for the impeachment motion to be moved
today, even as the leadership held a meeting with
the initiators of the impeachment urging them to
put it on hold or exercise restraint. The media
and public affairs committee chairman, Hon. Abike
Dabiri, confirmed the impeachment moves
yesterday, saying however that the leadership had
no hands in it and that individual members were
behind it.
An All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), member from
Katsina State, Hon. Bashir Nadabo, disclosed on
Tuesday that 100 members have signed to impeach
President Obasanjo over what they regarded as
breaches of the constitution and bad governance.
One of those who signed, Hon. Emmanuel
Arigbe-Osula of the ANPP from Edo State, told
newsmen yesterday that 15 impeachable offences
would be made public today, adding that there is
no going back. He said it would be executed
clinically and in a most lawful manner.
Nadabo said while giving progress report on the
moves that there was no going back. He said the
statement credited to the special adviser to the
president on public affairs, Mr. Femi
Fani-Kayode, in which he allegedly described the
impeachment moves as, “infantile nonsense” was
unfortunate.
He said Fani-Kayode and his boss will pay for
insulting the House and for misruling the country
because they have subjected the citizenry to
poverty and misery.
“The impeachment is the mood of the House and we
are going to succeed,” Nadabo promised.
The media and public affairs committee chairman,
Hon. Abike Dabiri commented on the statement by
Fani-Kayode, saying he needs to have an image
himself before becoming an image-maker to the
president.
“What is Kayode’s antecedents before becoming the
special assistant to the president?” she retorted.
She also said that the members were signing to
prepare a motion and that the required number has
been got. The motion might be moved today.
Hon. Usman Bugaje, a Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP), member who was asked by newsmen, said he
has already signed, adding that it was not a
party affair because even the PDP members are
those playing the opposition’s role in the House.
Also Hon. Suleiman Kawu Sumaila of the ANPP from
Kano State who confirmed signing said President
Obasanjo has violated democratic principles,
violated provisions of the budget and has
subjected Nigerians to pain by indiscriminate
retrenchment of workers.
He said the impeachment is for the good of the
country which he said majority of Nigerians will
support. He said the House seeks to protect the
constitution which he said the president
allegedly violates flagrantly with impunity.
Hon. Aminu Safana (PDP) from Katsina State,
however disagreed with the impeachment moves.
He said he was not convinced that the president
deserved to be impeached because he did not see
any offence of his.
Safana also suggested that the impeachment did
not have the blessing of the Speaker, Aminu Bello
Masari, but Nadabo had earlier said Masari was in
solidarity with his colleagues.
Physical exchange of blows was narrowly averted
between Nadabo and Safana outside the Assembly
complex following heated disagreements over the
genuiness or otherwise of the impeachment move.
http://www.dailytrust.com/news.htm

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<http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=17050>http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=17050


I've Done Nothing Wrong, Says Obasanjo

House members signatures now 161
From Josephine Lohor and Ahamefula Ogbu in Abuja, 05.12.2005

Impeachment

President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday urged
Nigerians to remain calm and not be unduly
worried by the threat by some members of the
House of Representatives to impeach him. He said
he has done nothing wrong to warrant impeachment.
But the group which is canvassing commencement of
impeachment process against Obasanjo yesterday
claimed they now have 161 members who have signed
to endorse the move to impeach the President.
The President, who spoke on the issue through his
Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Chief Femi
Fani-Kayode, said Nigerians should "remain calm
and not be unduly alarmed by the actions and
allegations of these few members of the House,
who are in the main, members of the opposition
parties."
He noted that "the details of these so-called
offences have not, up until now, been made public
by those that are asserting them. Despite these
allegations, we wish to assure the Nigerian
people that there is no basis for such a course
of action and that such an initiative does not
enjoy the support of the overwhelming number of
members, or indeed the leadership, of the Federal
House."
"It is important to note the fact that Mr.
President has done absolutely nothing wrong or
unconstitutional and he will not be distracted
from carrying out his lawful and constitutional
duties by such misguided initiatives or actions,"
he added.
Fani-Kayode, who described the pro-impeachment
legislators as "a relatively small number of
members of the Federal House of Representatives,"
assured that the Executive would continue to
deliver the dividends of democracy.
He said "Mr. President will continue to work
closely with and reach out to members of the
National Assembly and its leadership and we wish
to take this opportunity to reiterate our
confidence in the overwhelming majority of
members of both the Federal House and the Senate
and acknowledge the fact that it is our
collective and mutual desire to continue to work
closely together with them in order to bring the
dividends of democracy to the Nigerian people."
However, Special Adviser to the President on
National Assembly Matters, Senator Florence
Ita-Giwa said yesterday that the differences
between the Executive and the legislature must be
resolved through dialogue.
According to her, the differences do not warrant
impeachment “I do not think this problem is so
serious that a strong word as impeachment should
be easily used.
“This is because impeachment is a very serious
matter that it is not proper for that word to be
bandied anytime there are differences.”
She therefore urged Nigerians irrespective of
their political differences to join efforts in
managing the country’s fragile democracy.
“Whether you are ANPP, PDP, Executive or
Legislature, all of us have to manage this
fragile democracy,” she said.
The pro-impeachment group stated that it has
compiled 15-count impeachable offences against
the President, which is expected to be made
public today either on the floor of the House or
through a motion.
Though sponsors of the impeachable offences are
warming up to table it on the floor of the House
today, sources close to the leadership of the
House however said the issue will not be
accommodated until possibly a later date.
THISDAY reliably gathered that there were moves
by the leadership of the House to douse the
tension generated by the impeachment plot.
Arrow head of the plot Hon Bashir Nadabo was
allegedly invited by Speaker Aminu Bello Masari
to his office where he was asked to back down on
the plot.
"I have just spoken with the leadership but I
will not give you the details. A decision will be
taken soon. We already have enough number to
commence the impeachment process", Nadabo said.
When contacted on moves by the leadership to stop
the impeachment, Media and Publicity Committee
Chairman of the House, Abike Dabiri said, "The
leadership is talking to members on the need to
handle the matter in a mature manner, we should
not be emotional about it for the sake of the
country and democracy. I can assure you that over
20 members signed because of Fani-Kayode's
statement".
She said it was Fani-Kayode who should be
referred to as infantile nonsense, adding that he
has not shown the maturity needed to man the
office he was given by the President.
"Fani-Kayode is a disgrace to our generation
because of the way he conducts himself. We wonder
what are his antecedents for him to even have
been a Special Assistant to the President. What
are his antecedents? Before you talk for someone,
you should be able to talk for yourself.
"If you have to manage someone's image, you must
have an image yourself. I think his mother should
take him home and whip him. And tell you
something, here in the parliament, the leadership
is trying everything to ensure peace with
maturity while Fani-Kayode is busy heating up the
polity. If the President wants peace in this
country, he should do away with the likes of
Fani-Kayode", she said.
Reacting to the statement credited to
Fani-Kayode, Nadabo said, "Fani-Kayode said our
move is infantile nonsense but we shall see. We
are going to show him and his boss Obasanjo. They
are going to pay for the misrule and suffering
they have subjected the country to. Impeachment
is the mood of the moment and we will succeed. I
started yesterday and got 100 signatures but it
is now over 160."
He said the signatories cut across party line and
that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members were
also concerned that the president was on a
mission to derail the democratic process and have
been lending their support to the impeachment
move.
Facilitator of the Forum for Democracy and Good
Governance", Hon Usman Bugaje when asked to
comment said, "What do you want me to say? Nadabo
is speaking for us and that is the mood of the
moment".
Hon Gabriel Arigbe Osula accused Obasanjo of
running the country like his Ota farm. "In fact
he is doing worse than he would have been doing
in Ota farm and we have to call him to order. To
blackmail us that we are trying to terminate the
nascent democracy is nonsensical and unacceptable
to us," he said.
The House threatened Obasanjo with impeachment
last week following what members described as the
President’s contempt for the National Assembly.