Recent reports of a plan by some National Assembly members to commence impeachment proceedings against President Goodluck Jonathan are embarrassing and clearly out of place. Although details of the impeachable offences allegedly committed by the president and the names of the pro-impeachment lawmakers from both the Senate and the House of Representatives remain sketchy, one of the arrowheads of the plot, Senator Alkali Jajere (Yobe South), confirmed that the impeachment notice will be presented on the floor of the Senate when it resumes plenary next Tuesday, December 16. Not much has, however, been heard about this plan from the Lower Chamber
Among the charges against the president that the aggrieved legislators have made public are: poor implementation of Federal Budgets since 2011, high level of official corruption and “gross disregard” of the legislature at both the federal and state levels. The president is also to be held to account on the expenditure of over a trillion naira on fuel subsidy between 2010 and 2012, when the National Assembly approved much less than that for that purpose. The Federal legislature, however, requires a two-thirds majority of the legislators in both legislative chambers to remove the President.
Section 143 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) clearly stipulates how the President or Vice-president may be removed from office and the processes to be followed. It provides for the commencement of impeachment proceedings against the President or Vice President on account of “gross misconduct.” Specifically, subsection 11 of section 143 defines “gross misconduct” as “a grave violation or breach of the provisions of the Constitution or misconduct of such nature as amounts in the opinion of the National Assembly to gross misconduct.”
All considered, we do not think that the threats and plans of impeachment proceedings against the president are in order. This is because it is not only debatable that the “offences” allegedly committed amount to gross misconduct, the timing of the plot is also most inexpedient. We do not see any sense in the plan to impeach the president when the country is just about two months away to a presidential election. Moreover, some of the alleged offences, such as the one related to fuel subsidy payments, occurred two years ago. It is, uncharitable, indeed for the legislators to have sat on their rights to act on the matter at that time only to dig it up when elections are just around the corner.
Certainly, this is a worrisome distraction at a time that all hands should be on deck to make a success of the 2015 elections. The impeachment is indefensible and unnecessary. It is not worth the while of the legislators and the country.
It would appear that this move is aimed at intimidating the president and possibly weakening his quest for a second term in office. Nigeria does not need to be put through the distracting ordeal of an impeachment process at this sensitive period.
It is sad that some federal lawmakers bring out the impeachment hammer whenever they have a grouse against the president. As a former American president, Teddy Roosevelt said, “no man is above the law, and “no man is below the law”. In that regard, the impeachment provision in the constitution should be used with extreme care and circumspection. It should not be used to pursue a politically motivated agenda or politics of personal destruction to achieve political power through the back door.
It is unfortunate that at this time that we should be concerned about how to conduct credible elections next year and combat insurgency in the Northern part of the country, some lawmakers are threatening and plotting to impeach the president. The impeachment option should be used sparingly, and only when it becomes compelling.
We, therefore, urge the pro-impeachment lawmakers to restrain themselves. They should spare themselves and the country the embarrassment and stress that a hasty and thoughtless impeachment of the president would entail.
It is time our politicians changed their attitude. We expect them to rise above petty politics on matters as serious as the impeachment of a president. At present, there are serious national issues they should be looking into such as how to contain and win the war against insurgency, stabilise the economy in the face of falling global oil prices and revenue to the country, as well as the conduct of credible elections next year. These are challenges that need the undivided attention and commitment of members of the National Assembly.
