The intervention of the immediate past Senate President, David Mark, stopped the impeachment plot being hatched in the upper chamber against President Muhammadu Buhari by lawmakers loyal to Senate President Bukola Saraki.
This happened at the closed session of the federal lawmakers in Abuja on Tuesday. Our correspondent learnt that some members of the Senate, which met behind closed doors for one hour after its two-week recess, had, attempted to sack Buhari before Mark pleaded with them to save the chamber from another national embarrassment.
A Senator, who was in the closed session, confided in our correspondent that trouble started when the Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator David Umaru, briefed the lawmakers about the assignment given to his committee. He said his committee had been having great difficulties in getting the Attorney General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, to appear before it in order to explain why he initiated legal action against the Senate presiding officers for the alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Order 2015.
A ranking senator from the South-East was said to have suggested that a bench warrant be issued on Malami since it appeared that he was deliberately avoiding the Senate summons. Some of his colleagues in the Peoples Democratic Party, however, reminded him that the Inspector-General of Police might not want to carry out the order.
They were said to have argued that the alleged involvement of the Presidency would frustrate the summons of the AGF by the red chamber. The senator said it was at that point that the South-East senator, who was said to be on the floor, shouted, “Then let’s go for the man at the helm of affairs by initiating an impeachment immediately.”
His suggestion was said to have received applause from his colleagues in the PDP and some like-minded senators, said to be loyal to Saraki. It was learnt that Mark started pleading with his colleagues to forget about the idea, arguing that it could spell doom for the red chamber.
While Mark was said to be appealing to his colleagues, some senators, said to be loyal to Saraki, began to appeal to their colleagues in the Senate Unity Forum, who initiated the forgery suit to withdraw the case in the interest of peace. Some of the SUF members, who took the matter to court, were said to have explained that the matter was beyond them, a statement which was said to have infuriated Senator Dino Melaye, who urged the House to suspend the members since they were not ready to withdraw the suit.
Melaye’s statement was said to have annoyed Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who allegedly noted that the suggestion of the Kogi West Senator was childish, warning the senators against taking “kindergarten” steps that could tear the Senate into pieces. It was learnt that Melaye did not allow Tinubu to conclude her statement when he allegedly threatened to beat up the woman if she ever addressed him in that manner again.
“Do you think I am afraid of you or Bourdillon? I will f..k you up if you ever mess with me again,” Melaye allegedly said. Melaye’s statement allegedly threw the closed session into a rowdy session before calm was eventually restored. Attempts to get official confirmation of the development from the Senate spokesperson, Aliyu Abdullahi, failed as calls put across to his mobile did not connect while text messages sent to him were not responded to. – Punch.
