Aminu
Tambuwal, Sokoto State Governor, has spoken on plans by the All Progressives
Congress, APC, to impeach Senate President, Bukola Saraki.
Following
Saraki’s defection to the PDP, Adams Oshiomhole, APC national chairman, on
Wednesday said it is “a matter of honour for Saraki to leave the crown (senate
presidency) in the house that the crown belongs to.”
The PDP
caucus in the house of representatives also on Wednesday subsequently raised an
alarm that some senators were plotting to impeach Saraki through the backdoor.
Reacting,
Tambuwal speaking at the PDP National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja
on Thursday said any attempt to impeach Saraki unconstitutionally will harm
Nigeria’s democracy.
According to
him: “When I hear that some people are trying to break into the chambers of the
senate to steal the mace and install a pseudo president of the senate, I wonder
whether they actually know the rules of our democratic engagement. It’s not a
Gestapo, we are in democracy.
“If the
senators have confidence in Bukola Saraki, they should continue to sustain him
as president of the senate. And so be it with Mr. Speaker, Dogara.
“So, nobody
should be afraid. There is a process. And we must respect due process and rule
of law. And Nigeria is not a banana republic. We will not take it from anybody.
Let them hear it very clear. If you try it, we will match out our forces in
this country and jam you.
“Because we
are talking about democracy. We cannot afford to allow anybody, no matter how
highly placed, to toy with the future of about 200 million people in this
country.
“If Saraki
decided change his political party, there is nothing anybody can do about it.
“The
constitution of this country is very clear that members of the senate and the
house of representatives can choose from among themselves their own president
of the senate or speaker without leaning to any political party.
“Only about
three days ago, I did say that Nigerians will not accept prison-yard democracy.
And we cannot afford to allow our country to drift further. It is not about any
interest, it is about this country. This country is on a cliff. We must
retrieve it.”
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