April 10, 2010
Are we as a nation going to sit by and submissively watch as the Nigerian Constitution is bludgeon to the status of a vague reference document? Will we watch it become nothing more than a showcase in court rooms, legislative chambers and law school lecture halls among others? Or are we going to stand up for the "living" Constitution, honor and defend it, and actively seek to restore the sanctity of government?
Are we as a nation going to sit by and submissively watch as the Nigerian Constitution is bludgeon to the status of a vague reference document? Will we watch it become nothing more than a showcase in court rooms, legislative chambers and law school lecture halls among others? Or are we going to stand up for the "living" Constitution, honor and defend it, and actively seek to restore the sanctity of government?
If recent history is any guide, the impeachment of a President is not an act that ought to be considered lightly or one that ought to be taken for purely partisan reasons. Unfortunately the irresponsibility of our political class and the judiciary has made the consideration to impeach President Yar’Adua even more difficult. Having said that, however, I submit that a convincing case can be made that barring Yar’Adua doing the honorable thing and resigning, impeachment is demanded by the negligent and bordering on the criminal acts of this administration.
If President Yar’Adua could have been removed from office for being a bad president, he would have been sent back to Katsina a long time ago. The Yar’Adua presidency is a lot of things; it’s a secret cabal, corrupt and a cavalcade of incompetence. If incompetence were a criminal offense, he'd be behind bars. After all, there is abundant evidence that, in terms of leadership, he is a spectacular flop as our president. But seen from the point of view of the Nigerian people, what it increasingly resembles is a bad marriage. Nigerian finds itself married to a guy who has turned out to be a complete dud. He has spent more time out of office than in office.
The sins of the Yar’Adua administration are so extensive and so outrageous; they could never be adequately addressed in a single article. History will be the final judge. But I've no doubt about the ultimate verdict. Our nation seems, very belatedly, to be catching on the grave failures and monumental ineptitude of this president
By any objective measure the Yar’Adua Presidency has been an abject failure. The recent actions taken by the Yar’Adua presidency since early November 2009 when the president was secretly flown to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment and the commando style he was smuggled back into the country, however, collectively amounts to impeachable offence and also justify the argument for resignation by anyone with even a modicum of honor.
As if we needed more proof, the circumstances surrounding the signing of the 2009 supplemental budget are questionable. I wonder how a man who can barely acknowledge his surrounding sign such a document of monumental significance. Also, we have the example of squandering of over seven billion naira -security vote by members of his cabal to force an incapacitated man on a nation in the brink of disintegration.
The problem is that the Nigerian people are not judging Yar”Adua by the standards of law. The Yar’Adua years have further weakened Nigeria's fragile democratic state to a nation of bandit, corrupt and the rule of lawlessness. This society-wide diminution of respect for law has helped Yar’Adua and the cabal immeasurably. If president Yar’ Adua refuse to resign for the good of the country then, the Federal Executive Council should set the ball rolling by declaring the president incapacitated.
Felix Ayanruoh Esq.
[email protected]
If recent history is any guide, the impeachment of a President is not an act that ought to be considered lightly or one that ought to be taken for purely partisan reasons. Unfortunately the irresponsibility of our political class and the judiciary has made the consideration to impeach President Yar’Adua even more difficult. Having said that, however, I submit that a convincing case can be made that barring Yar’Adua doing the honorable thing and resigning, impeachment is demanded by the negligent and bordering on the criminal acts of this administration.
If President Yar’Adua could have been removed from office for being a bad president, he would have been sent back to Katsina a long time ago. The Yar’Adua presidency is a lot of things; it’s a secret cabal, corrupt and a cavalcade of incompetence. If incompetence were a criminal offense, he'd be behind bars. After all, there is abundant evidence that, in terms of leadership, he is a spectacular flop as our president. But seen from the point of view of the Nigerian people, what it increasingly resembles is a bad marriage. Nigerian finds itself married to a guy who has turned out to be a complete dud. He has spent more time out of office than in office.
The sins of the Yar’Adua administration are so extensive and so outrageous; they could never be adequately addressed in a single article. History will be the final judge. But I've no doubt about the ultimate verdict. Our nation seems, very belatedly, to be catching on the grave failures and monumental ineptitude of this president
By any objective measure the Yar’Adua Presidency has been an abject failure. The recent actions taken by the Yar’Adua presidency since early November 2009 when the president was secretly flown to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment and the commando style he was smuggled back into the country, however, collectively amounts to impeachable offence and also justify the argument for resignation by anyone with even a modicum of honor.
As if we needed more proof, the circumstances surrounding the signing of the 2009 supplemental budget are questionable. I wonder how a man who can barely acknowledge his surrounding sign such a document of monumental significance. Also, we have the example of squandering of over seven billion naira -security vote by members of his cabal to force an incapacitated man on a nation in the brink of disintegration.
The problem is that the Nigerian people are not judging Yar”Adua by the standards of law. The Yar’Adua years have further weakened Nigeria's fragile democratic state to a nation of bandit, corrupt and the rule of lawlessness. This society-wide diminution of respect for law has helped Yar’Adua and the cabal immeasurably. If president Yar’ Adua refuse to resign for the good of the country then, the Federal Executive Council should set the ball rolling by declaring the president incapacitated.
Felix Ayanruoh Esq.
[email protected]
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