The lawmaker who represents Obio-/Akpor Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives said this on a programme on Nigeria Info 92.3FM in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Wednesday.
The leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) House of Representatives Caucus, Kingsley Chinda, has said the party is lobbying members of the House and other Nigerians to push for the impeachment of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The lawmaker who represents Obio-/Akpor Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives said this on a programme on Nigeria Info 92.3FM in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Wednesday.
Chinda said he would not apologise for earlier calling for the President’s impeachment, adding that based on the worsening security situation in the country, Buhari should be impeached.
Therefore, according to him, the call by the House Majority Leader, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, that he should be punished for calling for the commencement of an impeachment process against the President is an insult to the House of Representatives.
He said, “We are talking with our colleagues. We are also talking to Nigerians and we are asking Nigerians to talk to their representatives. It is not what you want. If the people that the House leader represents in Kano come together and tell him (Doguwa) – ‘we want you to sign this impeachment notice, we are in support’, he has no right to do otherwise.
“Even where as an individual he is against it, (he has no choice) other than to obey the wishes of those who have elected him, and that is what we are doing. We are talking to Nigerians; we are talking to our colleagues. Once we are done with that, of course we will present the impeachment notice. If it flies, fine. If it doesn’t there is no problem, it's a democracy.”
Speaking on his earlier call for the commencement of impeachment proceedings against the President, he said, “I owe nobody any apology for calling for the impeachment of Mr. President. The leader of the House said that I am speaking for myself and not for the PDP caucus.
“I don’t know who he (Doguwa) is in touch with. The PDP has also come out to say that is the position of the party, and the spokesperson for the PDP in the House is to toe the position of the PDP in the House. Why would the majority leader who is very experienced in parliamentary issues be dancing naked in the public?”
Chinda noted that Buhari deserves to be impeached because of the way he has handled security issues in the country, “That the President has failed to comply with the provisions of section 11 (4) of the Constitution. Section 14 (2b) particularly. The major responsibility of every government is security of lives and property of the people.
“Government has failed woefully in this aspect. What do we do? We have called on the President to sack the Service Chiefs and then bring in new persons, perhaps for new ideas if that will improve the situation. He is the Commander-in-Chief, the buck stops on his table.
“I will rather leave the parliament than remain there and see the country crumbling.”
Doguwa had said disciplinary measures should be taken against Chinda after he called for the impeachment of the President.
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The Majority Leader, during plenary on Monday, said Chinda was not representing the position of the PDP caucus of the House and that he was acting alone.
He said the President's decision not to honour the invitation by the House to appear before it was due to the utterances of Chinda, who had called for his impeachment, and concerns that the President would be embarrassed If he honoured the invitation.