The
All Progressives Congress has condemned the renewed plan by the
Nasarawa State House of Assembly to impeach the state governor, Alhaji
Tanko Al-Makura.
Lagos lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, SAN, also
said the fresh move to remove Al-Makura, was illegal. The lawyer said in
a statement on Sunday that under the constitution, the House of
Assembly lacked the power to raise the same allegations against the
governor having been earlier exonerated of the same accusations by an
impeachment panel.
The APC, in a statement by its National
Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in Ilorin, Kwara State, on
Sunday, said that the lawmakers were bent on violating the
constitution in their desperation to remove the governor.
It noted that Al-Makura had been cleared of the charges against him by a duly constituted impeachment panel.
The party said it would amount to an
illegality for the lawmakers to draft a vacation judge to set up another
panel to probe the same 16 allegations, of which the governor had been
absolved.
It said the constitution was clear that
only the chief judge of the state could set up such a panel, upon
receiving a request from the Speaker of the House of Assembly.
The APC, therefore, said that any attempt
to draft a vacation judge to set up another panel would be against the
constitution that gave the legislature the impeachment power in the
first instance.
The party also said that Al-Makura could not be impeached on the basis of the same allegations.
It noted that if the lawmakers were to
follow the constitution, they would have to find a new set of
impeachable offences against the governor, adding that the legislators
would have to notify the governor and forward their request to the chief
judge, not to a vacation judge.
It said that the latest move by the
legislators, who had relocated to Abuja from their base in Lafia, was
being instigated by the Peoples Democratic Party.
“That this illegality is being
contemplated under the watch of President Goodluck Jonathan is clear for
all to see. In fact, it is in line with the culture of lawlessness and
impunity for which the Jonathan Administration has now become infamous,”
the APC stated.
The party said that the Minister of
Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, from Nasarawa State, had been goading
the state legislature to disregard the constitution and remove the
governor.
The APC said that the reason for the minister’s action was because Al-Makura was in the opposition party.
It said, ‘’It is also as clear as
daylight that the kind of money being dangled at the lawmakers to
impeach Governor Al-Makura at all costs could only have come from a deep
purse or a war chest.
“With almost N30m and other perks being
reportedly offered to each lawmaker just to take out an opposition
governor, it is clear in whose interest and at whose behest such is
being done.”
It called on those it described as “the puppeteers of the marooned Nasarawa legislators” to call the lawmakers to order.
“The lawmakers have tried and failed to
remove Governor Al-Makura. Let them now return to Lafia and continue
with their constitutional duties. They must give peace a chance,’’ APC
said.
Falana, in his statement, also said, “The
seven-member panel set up by the Chief Judge of Nasarawa State to
investigate the allegations of impeachable offences leveled against
Governor Tanko Al-Makura has concluded its assignment.
“Since the House of Assembly ignored the
directive of the panel to substantiate the allegations against the
governor panel dismissed them. Once the governor has been exonerated by
the impeachment panel no further proceedings shall arise from the
allegations by virtue of section 188(8) of the Constitution.
“However, completely dissatisfied with
the clean bill of health given to Governor Al-Makura by the impeachment
panel the House of Assembly of Nasarawa State, the House has decided to
request the vacation judge to set up another panel to re-investigate the
allegations which had been dismissed in favour of the governor.”
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