Since the House of Representatives signalled its resolve to initiate a process towards impeaching President Umaru Yar’Adua over poor implementation of the 2009 budget, indications are rife that the desire to make the House do so has started welling up in more members.
The representatives had, during the week, taken on the president on his attitude to budget implementation, accusing his government of breaching the constitution by failing to fully implement the 2009 budget as passed by the National Assembly.
Checks among members by the report revealed that the angry representatives were indeed, waiting for debate on reports commissioned by the House on performance level of the 2009 to demonstrate their seriousness on the threat of impeachment against the president.
Members, who spoke on the issue said that the issue of constituency projects was not the only reason the federal legislators had not been happy with the government of Yar’Adua, stressing that the House had rather been upbeat on the signs of degeneration of governance which, they said, had been ominous for democracy.
They said when the reports on budget performance come up for debate, the House would be emphatic in letting the nation know that the presidency must sit tight more than ever in tackling the growing problems of corruption, poor standard of living in Nigeria, increasing rate of unemployment and general poverty in the country.
Members also alluded to the general disenchantment in Nigeria with the present government as reflected by the strike actions being embarked upon by different labour unions and the general insecurity in the country.
Before the House issued the threat to impeach Yar’Adua during the week, it had earlier issued such threat twice this year, although subtly, while expressing alleged displeasure on the selective approach to budget implementation by the president.
More members are complaining that the problem of budget implementation had been responsible for low level of circulation of money in the country, whereas, only a clique withing the government is being percieved as amassing stupendous wealth at the expense of the larger society.
Indication that members of the House would not take the threat of impeachment against President Yar’Adua lightly had emerged last Thursday when members resisted an attempt to lure them to the dining table by the Presidency in its possible move towards pacifying the angry legislators.
The special adviser on National Assembly Matters to President Yar’Adua, Senator Muhammed Abba Aji, had forwarded a letter to the House inviting members across political parties to a “consultative meeting and lunch with the leadership and members of the House on budget.”
The House resolved to shun the meeting with the presidency on budget when a member, Honourable Halims Agoda, raised a point of order to advise his colleagues to that effect as he alleged a plot by the Presidency to lure members and trap them on their plot.
Presenting his argument, Agoda said “I am, therefore, urging the House of Representatives to discard that letter and tell the president to go and implement the (2009) budget as passed.”
Honourable Igo Aguma spoke in a similar manner stating, “this House has passed a number of resolutions on the non-implementation of budgets by the Presidency, and we cannot partake in that kind of the breach of the rights of ordinary Nigerians to enjoy the fruits of the budget, by going to dine with them.
He added, “There is no water, there is no security, and there is no light. No food, no hospitals, and health workers are on strike, ASUU is on strike for the non-payment of their arrears and salaries, but the president is, instead, calling on us to go and wine and dine with him. This House should reject that and call on the president to go and implement the budget as passed,” he said.
Although, the threat by the House to impeach the President had unsettled the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said to be making moves to contain the threat before it hit the airwaves, the House had also indicated that it would not be cowed by any influence from the ruling party.
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