Politics
Call For Buhari’s Resignation: Kaduna Bishops Back Northern Elders
Bishop, Diocese of Kaduna, Anglican Communion, Timothy Yahaya and Bishop of Kaduna Catholic Archdiocese, Matthew Manoso Ndagoso have respectively thrown their weights behind Northern Elders recent call for the resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari over raging insecurity in the country.
This was contained in their separate Easter messages to the nation.
However, the presidency had since replied the northern elders, describing them as failed politicians seeking cheap publicity.
Bishop Yahaya said the right thing to do by a leader who cannot deliver is to bow out of office, adding, however, there is hope for Nigeria as a nation.
On his own part, Bishop Ndagoso said it was hard to disagree with Northern elders’ position on the need for Buhari to resign from office over killings in the country.
He noted that the only thing the people got each time scores of Nigerians are killed, maimed and abducted, were empty assurances and reassurances of security by political leaders.
Bishop Yahaya said, “My Easter message is that there is hope for every individual in this country, there is hope for Nigeria as a nation. I know what we are going through, it is a dangerous and perilous time. But I tell you the only tonic of tomorrow is hope.
“I don’t want to join issues with the Northern elders because I am not a politician. But the truth about leadership is that there is morality in leadership. If you cannot deliver as a leader in a civilised clime, the right thing and best thing to do is to bow out. But what gives me concern seriously is that I am not sure if the President knows that his name is going down in history as thePresident knows that his name is going down in history as the President that is supervising the killing of his people, as a President who is the petroleum Minister, today in Kaduna we don’t have petrol for how many months. As the President who is supervising the nation, ASUU have closed down universities, the future generation is bleak.
“As a President who supervises where you hear billions of naira being budgeted and you don’t see anything verifiable for it. So for me I am not talking as a politician, am talking as a citizen of this nation, I am talking with the voices of the masses, I talk with the reality on the ground.
I don’t know, those of you around Mr. President, all you want to do is to rub his name from the glory of the future. I hope it is not the bestthing you are doing because I don’t know if they are shielding you from information.
“Look at the railway attack, our brothers and sisters are in captivity. And we are not hearing from Mr. President himself. The Spokesman can speak for the President that the citizens of this country are in the hands of terrorists. Mr. President should sit up.
Even if somebody is speaking for him, he is telling lies. In other clime, the President will not sleep, and heads will roll because somebody is responsible for the laxity that led to this train attack.
“For me, Mr. President needs to do an x-ray of his leadership in the past seven years because by next month he will be seven years fully on the saddle.
Has he done very well? How much was Dollar when you took over power? How much was petrol when you took over power? How was insecurity when you took over power? Where was education whenyou took over power? Where was the name of Nigeria when you took over power? Today we hear money being budgeted for a Turn Around Maintenance of refineries, where are the refineries? And how do you want me to believe that corruption is being fought in Nigeria?”.
you took over power? Where was the name of Nigeria when you took over power? Today we hear money being budgeted for a Turn Around Maintenance of refineries, where are the refineries? And how do you want me to believe that corruption is being fought in Nigeria?”.
“Therefore, let’s go to our Prisons and begin to apologise to the prisoners. You cannot set free those who stole patrimony of the people and sent to prison to languish those who stole five thousand naira or one hundred thousand naira in this country. Are you telling me that what is good for the Goose is not good for the Gander? Ate you telling me that it is animal farm that we have as Nigeria?.
“As far I am concerned, I have said it before, Nigeria is at war, soldiers are being killed, citizens are being killed. If you take the statistics of the number of soldiers and police that are being killed you will know that Nigeria is at war. Infrastructures are being attacked and vandalised.
“There should be national emergency to recall ex servicemen and recruit young men to fight insurgents if possible because desperate time needs desperate measure. Begin to train young people in all the 36 States. In a state where we have less 50,000 soldiers we are not ready for this war. Also technology should be deployed. This is war, it is a very serious war. The fact that they were able to attack the airport, the train, I hope the Villa is safe”.
For the Catholic Bishop Ndagoso,” Given where we are right now in terms of insecurity and the government’s handling of the situation thus far, it is hard for one to disagree with BulamaBukarti’s assertion that, “the Buhari government is incompetent, inept and careless”, and the Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF) that “his leadership has proved spectacularly incapable of providing security over Nigerians.
“Our predicament today especially in the northwest region of our country and particularly in Kaduna state is akin to that of the two runaway disciples with high hope prior to 2015 that someone will rescue us from the grip of terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, armed robbers, cattle rustlers, marauding herders and such like.
“All we get are empty assurances and reassurances of security by our political leaders each time scores of Nigerians are killed, maimed and abducted as witnessed recently in the mass killings and abductions in Agunu, Kagoro, KoronTsohuwa area, attacks on Kaduna international airport, the Abuja-Kaduna bound train that led to the killing of eightpeople, injury of scores and the abduction of more than 150, the killings of our gallant soldiers and vigilantes in the notorious BirninGwari axis and most recently the Plateau, Benue and Taraba mass killings have left most Nigerians with little or no trust and confidence in those charged with the constitutional responsibility of securing their lives and property.
“To say the least, the seeming incompetence and the lack of political will to face the ever increasing insecurity head-on has left most Nigerians in a state of quandary to the extent that some members of the national assembly and other well respected individual Nigerians are publicly calling on the citizens to bear arms in order to defend themselves. Do we need any further signs of a failed state? Your guess is as good as mine”.
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed, through a second reading, a bill seeking to retain immunity for the Office of the President and remove immunity from the Vice President, the Governors and the Deputy Governors.
The bill was one of the 42 considered and passed through the second reading stage during plenary presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Mr Benjamin Kalu, in Abuja.
Sponsored by Hon. Solomon Bob (Rivers PDP), the bill is seeking the amendment of Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution to guard against abuse of office and to ensure transparency in governance.
The long title of the proposed legislation read: “A Bill for an Act to alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to qualify the immunity conferred on the President, remove the immunity conferred on the Vice President, the Governors and their deputies, in order to curb corruption, eradicate impunity and enhance accountability in public office and for related matters.”
Key amendments include changes to Section 308 of the Constitution, which currently grants immunity to the president, vice president, governors, and deputy governors while in office.
The proposed bill will amend subsection 3 to ensure that immunity only applies to the President and the vice president when acting as President under Section 145 of the Constitution.
Additionally, a new subsection 4 will be introduced to make the immunity clause inapplicable if the office holder is acting in an unofficial capacity, engaging in actions beyond the powers of the office, or involved in criminal conduct.
“The bill seeks to foster transparency and strengthen the fight against corruption by making public officials more accountable for their actions, both in and out of office.”
“Section 308 of the principal Act is amended by:(a) substituting a new subsection (3) as follows: “(3) This section applies to a person holding the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Vice President only when acting as President, in line with Section 145 of this Constitution.
Creating sub section (4) thereto as follows:”(4) The foregoing provisions of this section shall be inapplicable where the person to whom this section applies is acting in an unofficial capacity or where the conduct of the person is beyond the powers of his office or the conduct is criminal in nature.
“This Bill may be cited as the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) Act 2024.
The bill is currently awaiting further debate and consideration by the National Assembly.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has written to notify Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the senator representing Kogi Central, about the petition by constituents seeking her recall from the national assembly.
INEC said it has also received the contact details of the petitioners.
“Pursuant to section 69 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, I write to notify you of the receipt of a petition from representatives of registered voters in your constituency seeking your recall from the senate.
“The notification is in line with the provisions of clause 2 (a) of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024.
“This letter is also copied to the presiding officer of the senate and simultaneously published on the commission’s website. Thank you”, the letter read.
The letter was signed by Ruth Oriaran Anthony, secretary to the commission.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued on Wednesday, INEC said it has now received the updated contact details from representatives of petitioners seeking to recall the senator.
In the statement, Sam Olumekun, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education, said a letter notifying the senator of the petition has been delivered to her official address, copied to the senate presiding officer, and published on the commission’s website.
“The next step is to scrutinise the list of signatories submitted by the petitioners to ascertain that the petition is signed by more than one half (over 50%) of the registered voters in the constituency. This will be done in the coming days.
“The outcome, which will be made public, shall determine the next step to be taken by the Commission. We once again reassure Nigerians that the process will be open and transparent”, Mr Olumekun said.
Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan had recently accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexually harassing her.
The allegation came in the wake of seating arrangement related altercation between Senator. Akpabio and the Kogi Central senator at the red chamber
She was subsequently suspended from the senate for six months for “gross misconduct” over the incident.
The constituents behind the recall move also accused her of “gross misconduct, abuse of office, and deceitful behaviour”.
The senator has denied wrongdoing and called the recall effort a “coordinated suppression” of her voice.
The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed the second reading of a bill to upgrade the Lagos State 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) to full-fledged Local Government Areas (LGAs ).
The bill, was sponsored by James Faleke, Babajimi Benson, Enitan Badru, and 19 other lawmakers.
The bill is titled “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) to Accommodate the Thirty-Seven (37) Development Area Councils of Lagos State as Full-Fledged Local Government Areas, Increasing the Total Number of Local Government Areas in the Federation to Eight Hundred and Eleven (811), and for Related Matters (HB. 1498),”
Once fully enacted, Nigeria’s total number of LGAs will rise from 774 to 811, with Lagos overtaking Kano and Katsina, which currently have 44 and 34 LGAs, respectively.
Proponents of the bill argue that granting full LGA status to the LCDAs would bring governance closer to the people. The 37 LCDAs were created by President Bola Tinubu in 2003 when he was governor of Lagos State.
However, it’s worth noting that the Lagos State House of Assembly has been working on a bill to replace the 37 LCDAs with newly designated administrative areas.