$462m Aircraft: Senate Moves Motion to Impeach Buhari

By Dipo Olowookere

A Senator from Edo State, Mr Matthew Uroghide, on Thursday, April 26, 2018, moved a motion to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari.

The lawmaker said the President erred in approving the withdrawal of $462 million from the Excess Crude Account (ECA) for the purchase of fighter jets from the United States without first approaching the National Assembly for consent as required by laws of the land.

Mr Uroghide also said it was wrong for the President to seek an approval from the parliament after already approving the withdrawal.

Yesterday, the Senate President, Mr Bukola Saraki, read a letter from Mr Buhari, asking for their approval to effect the payment of the aircrafts expected to be used to tackle terrorism in the country.

At the plenary today, Mr Uroghide urged the red chamber of the National Assembly to invoke Section 143 of the Nigerian Constitution, which gives room for the removal of the President from office.

Another Senator, Mr Chukwuka Utazi, who seconded the motion, emphasised that what the President did was an impeachable offence.

According to him, “This is an impeachable offence and the President should be made to suffer the consequence.”

In his letter to the Senate on Wednesday, the President had said, “I wish to draw the attention of the Senate to the ongoing security emergencies in the nation.

“These challenges were discussed with the state governors and subsequently at the meeting of the National Economic Council on December 14, 2017 where a resolution was passed with the council approving that up to $1 billion may be released and utilised from the Excess Crude Account to address the situation.”

According to Mr Buhari, he gave approval for the withdrawal of the fund because he believed the National Assembly would have no objection to his action.