Some Senators have called for the impeachment of President Muhammadu
Buhari over the purchase of the $496m super Tucano fighter jets.
The Senators during plenary on Thursday asked Senate President Bukola
Saraki to invoke Section 143 of the constitution in view of President
Buhari’s approval of the extra-budgetary spending of 496 million dollars
to purchase the aircraft.
In a motion moved by the Chairman Senate Committee on Public Account,
Senator Mathew Urhogide, is of the opinion that “It’s a violation of
Section 80 subsection 1, 2, 3, 4.
“The procedure of the expenditure is wrong. There ought to be an
appropriation before such expenditure.
“I hereby request that the Senate President should invoke Section 18 of
the Constitution.”
Mr Urhogide cites Orders 15, 42 & 52, says this matter should be forwarded
to the appropriate committee.
“The President’s request is wrong, it’s a violation of our process,
proceedings and the 1999 Constitution (as amended)”.
Senators Chukwuka Utazi and Sam Anyanwu also backed Senator Urhogide on
the call for Buhari’s impeachment.
According to Senator Utazi “I rise to second this motion with Section 80
subsection 2 and 3. We are still on the appropriation bill, we have not
finished it, Service chiefs were appointed without the approval of the
Senate.”
”These Tucano helicopters are to be brought in 2020, why include it now in
appropriation.
“This is an impeachable offence.”
Meanwhile, Senator Abu Ibrahim has disagreed with the call for the
President’s impeachment arguing that since the establishment of the excess
crude account, no government has ever sent a formal request to the
National Assembly for approval for appropriation of funds.
But the other Senators are of the opinion that Section 143 deals with the
impeachment of the President.
The purchase of the Tucano aircraft raised many concerns to Nigerians as
the House of Representatives was in a rowdy session over the presidential
request to include the $496million fund for the purchase in the 2018
Appropriation Bill before the National Assembly.
To this move, the Senate has directed its Committee on Judiciary to find
out if any infraction was committed by President Buhari in his approval
and direction for the release of the funds for the purchase of the
aircraft.
The Senate asked the committee to report back its findings on Wednesday,
May 3rd.