The Minority Caucus of the National Assembly on Tuesday, threatened to use its legislative powers to move against the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), should he continue to breach the constitution.
To make good its threat, the caucus has listed the various constitutional breaches which it said it would rely upon to invoke its constitutional powers, should the breaches persist.
Leader of the caucus and Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, made this position known at a media briefing in Abuja, on Tuesday.
According to him, the caucus was saddened that Buhari had failed to guarantee the security and welfare of Nigerians, which he described as the primary purpose of the government.
The caucus also expressed disappointment that the current regime has mismanaged the economy to the point of near collapse. This, he said, should not be allowed to continue.
He said, “The caucus has taken note and will continue to take note of the constitutional breaches that are happening at this time by the government of the APC.
“We will at the appropriate time utilize all constitutional methods and measures available after consultations with our colleagues, to do the needful to save the country from collapse.
“PDP expresses very strong concern about the ineptitude and the inability of the APC-led government to arrest the drift to anarchy of our nation at this time.
“This APC-led government, at inception and during campaigns prior to 2015 elections, made promises to the Nigerian public, the first of which was that they were going to deal with security challenges within their tenure.
“Sadly, and most unfortunately, from 2015 to date, rather than resolving the security situation, the APC-led federal government had rather broadened the security challenges.
“So, from the problems of the North East, it has spread to other parts of the country. Virtually all parts of Nigeria are now beset with one security challenge or the other.
“We, therefore, as a caucus, suggest that immediate steps should be taken by governments at all levels to set up proper security infrastructure whether in the mode of state police and other constitutional reforms to arrest the drift of the nation.”
It also urged the regime to stop borrowing because its effects were not being felt by ordinary Nigerians.
The caucus also said, “We have not seen our President. We have not heard from our President despite the daily killings that have turned Nigeria into a killing field of unimaginable proportions.”
The opposition members also demanded for the sacking of the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami.
They said, “We, as a caucus, are opposed to the continued superintendent of the NIN registration by someone whom the country has lost confidence in.”
Minority caucus has our mandate, says PDP
National leadership of the PDP also threw its weight behind the caucus.
National Publicity Secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a telephone interview with The PUNCH, in Abuja, on Tuesday, said, “The minority caucus in the National Assembly under the leadership of our great party, has the mandate and support of the PDP, to take every legitimate constitutional step to promote, protect and defend our democracy.
“The PDP and our opposition colleagues in the National Assembly owe their allegiance to the Nigerian people and their actions will always be guided by the peoples’ best interests.”
When contacted, the Secretary, Caretaker/ Extra Ordinary National Convention Planning Committee of the All Progressives Congress, Sen. John Akpanudoehe, said, “We will respond after we have been properly briefed.”
Copyright PUNCH.
