Why we cannot impeach Buhari – House of Reps

The House of Representatives has rejected a lawmaker’s call for the commencement of the process to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari.

House of Representatives spokesman Benjamin Kalu said the demand for Buhari’s impeachment by Kingsley Chinda, a lawmaker representing Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency in Rivers State was the “opinion of a single member of the opposition party in the house.”

He said calls for impeachment were not logical because Buhari is yet to appear before the House to explain what his administration is doing to address the security issue.

“If this call came post-President’s visit for the failure to dialogue well enough in securing solutions or due to his inability to put our positions to use, it would appear logical,” Kalu said in a statement on Sunday.

“Unfortunately, this call is not only illogical, it appears as a tool mischievously thrown up to disrupt the agenda of the coming visit with all it sets out to achieve in the spirit of nation-building which remains the mantra of the 9th Assembly and is considered a joint task.”

Earlier on Sunday, Chinda called on Nigerians irrespective of political party, tribe, or religion to compel their representatives to commence impeachment process against the president over the rising cases of insecurity in the country.

Last week, about 48 rice farmers were killed in Zabarmari, about 20 kilometres from Maiduguri, on Saturday, November 28. Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the attack.

The killings prompted Nigerians, particularly northern groups to demand Buhari’s resignation. While the Nigerian Senate called for the sack of service chiefs, the House of Representatives summoned the president to appear before it.

Kalu said the purported call to impeach Buhari “does not in any way reflect either the minority, majority or general position of the 9th House of Representatives and should be disregarded like his other divisive, distracting, destabilizing and destructive positions.

“The motive behind this press release as well as the timing leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of most progressives who were instructed by their constituents to request for an interaction with the president.”

The House of Representatives spokesman urged Nigerians to be patient and wait for the outcome of their meeting with Buhari “before being misled by a lone voice on a frolic of his (Chinda) own, whose private opinion in no way represents the position of the House of Representatives.”