There was a dramatic twist on Wednesday as members of the House of Representatives denied any plan to initiate impeachment process against President Muhammadu Buhari.
Members also said the claim of signatures being collected for the purpose of achieving the alleged impeachment was imaginary and did not exist. The House, which was presided over by the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, resolved to investigate the impeachment claim by directing the Committee on Ethics/Privileges to look into it.
The twist started when two members accused of being the ringleaders of signature collection, rose to address the House, dismissing the allegation. One of the members, Mr Nicholas Ossai, told the House that he was in shock on Tuesday when he heard a colleague from Jigawa State, Mr Mohammed Gudaji-Kazaure, saying that signatures were being collected.
Incidentally, Ossai, who is from Delta State, is the Chairman, Committee on Ethics/Privileges. Ossai stated that before he would contemplate collecting signatures to impeach the President, he would have to first consult his constituents.
He added, “I am surprised that Kazaure would raise such an allegation. “I am not collecting any signature; why does he want to tarnish my image?My constituents will even ask why I did not consult them before collecting signatures. But, there is no truth in this because I am not collecting signatures.”Ossai begged the leave of the House to step aside as the chairman of the committee so that the investigation would be thoroughly conducted without interference by him.
The Chairman, House Committee on Public Accounts, Kingsley Chinda, who was also linked with the reported signature collection, dissociated himself from it.
Chinda said though impeachment was a legislative duty that would be carried out whenever it became necessary, in the extant situation with Buhari, it had not been contemplated.