- Senator Ali Ndume says any attempt to impeach President Buhari will fail
- Ndume said it will be difficult to get a two-third majority votes in the Senate to impeach the president
- He also said the president made the controversial $496million expenditure with genuine reasons
Former senate leader, Ali Ndume (APC) representing Borno south senatorial district, on Monday, April 30, tackled his colleagues plotting the impeachment of President Muhammadu Buhari, describing the move as dead on arrival.
Recall that NAIJ.com earlier reported that Senator Matthew Urhoghide (PDP, Edo) moved a motion last Thursday that Section 143 of the 1999 Constitution be invoked over the payment of $496 million to the US government for the purchase of Super Tucano aircraft without the National Assembly’s approval.
Ndume said there were three reasons why the plot to impeach the president will not stand, Daily Trust reports.
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He said: “One, Buhari made the expenditure with genuine reasons. There were several efforts to purchase the aircraft previously that failed because of alleged human right abuses.
“With the coming of President Buhari, because of his integrity, acceptance and international support, the US government gave us the go-ahead to pay for the Super Tucano aircraft. The president made the payment to the US government not through a contractor.
“Three, precedents have been set by previous administrations. There have never been a time when money is spent from excess crude account and approval is sought from the National Assembly since 1999.
“But, this time around, the president wrote the National Assembly that the expenditure be captured in the 2018 budget which is before us.
“As we are now, there is no how two-third majority can be secured to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari. My advice is that we should concentrate on budget and other legislations that will be beneficial to the citizens.
“We should not just over heat the polity because it will be exercise in futility, it is dead on arrival."
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NAIJ.com previously reported that President Buhari on Saturday, April 28, met one-on-one with Senate President Bukola Saraki and speaker of House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara at the reception of the daughter of secretary to the government of the federation, Boss Mustapha, held inside the Banquet Hall of the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja.
That was their first meeting after some members of the National Assembly threatened to impeach Buhari over the withdrawal of $496 million from the Excess Crude Account for the purchase of fighter jets.
Street gist: Should the Nigerian senate be scrapped? - on NAIJ.com TV:
Source: Naija.ng
