Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari summoned an emergency meeting of the National Security Council hours after senators threatened to impeach him over worsening security concerns.
Senate Minority Leader, Philip Aduda (PDP, FCT), stormed out of the Senate after Senate President Ahmad Lawan vetoed a move to debate the recent security challenges.
He said the legislators had agreed to a six weeks ultimatum on the president to address the current spate of insecurity or get impeached.
The protesting senators, including Adamu Bulkachuwa (APC, Bauchi North), later briefed press men on what transpired at the closed-door session.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who spoke on the lawmakers’ threat while fielding questions after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the State House, Abuja, said the federal government was on top of the security challenge.
He added that urgent steps were being taken to stem their anxiety over the recent development.
Mohammed said “Resolution passed by Senators, as rightly said, it was passed when we were deliberating, but we thank them for their patriotism and their concern, but we are working round the clock, 24 hours, to ensure that the situation is brought under control.
“I want to assure you that the president is aware of all these and as a matter of fact, I think tomorrow, there’s going to be another Security Council meeting. So, it’s not a matter the president is taking lightly and like I’ll always say, some of the measures we’re going to take are not measures that you can discuss openly here, but we’re as concerned as you are, we’re not going to abandon our responsibility.”
The minister also described as laughable and mere propaganda the threat by terrorists to abduct President Buhari.
“As to those who have issued threats to Mr. President, I think it’s more of propaganda than anything. It’s laughable.”
It was gathered that the move to impeach the President was a collective decision of the senators if the six-week ultimatum lapsed, without President Buhari addressing the rising insecurity.
Confirming this, Senator Smart Adeyemi (APC, Kogi West) said none of the senators who attended the plenary opposed the impeachment move.
“It was a collective decision of the Senate to give an ultimatum to the president. The difference between the position of the APC and the opposition is that they said after six weeks, we must impeach (the president) but APC senators said we should review the security situation after the ultimatum and thereafter take a position.
“None of the senators who were at the plenary was against either ultimatum or impeachment,” he said.
In his closing remarks, the Senate President said all senators were worried and concerned about the security situation in the country.
He said an emergency session may be held during the long recess if the need arises.
They are expected to resume plenary session by September 20, 2022.