PDP Crisis: Impeachment Of Jonathan Not Ruled Out – Jibrin

The chairman, House Committee on Finance, Hon Abdulmumin Jibrin, has faulted the statement credited to the deputy minority leader of the House of Representatives, Hon Samaila Kawu, that they were not considering the impeachment of President Goodluck Jonathan.

According to Jibrin, who spoke in a press statement yesterday, whether or not the House would choose to impeach the president as a result of the crisis in PDP is not within the power of Kawu to decide. He noted that Kawu was not the spokesman of the House and, as such, cannot speak on its behalf.

 He also stated that the crisis rocking the ruling party had gone beyond a mere “internal crisis”, and would be treated as a national problem when the House resumes next week.

“With due respect to him, this statement is shockingly hasty, if not altogether contaminated by downright indiscretion. Hon. Kawu is not the authorised spokesman of the House, so he is not in a position to speak on its behalf. That responsibility is reserved for somebody else, who, as far as the world knows, has up until this moment not made any public statement with regard to the intra-party feud within the PDP.”

He further said that the House had always exhibited an unprecedented team spirit and cohesion since the inception of the 7th National Assembly and that it was not about to shed “this highly treasured character at this crucial hour”.

According to him, “When a ruling party begins to toe the path of self-destruction in a manner that clearly threatens the unity of Nigeria, it is simplistic for anyone to reduce such a crisis to an internal problem that should be left for the party alone to deal with.

“A majority of us members of the PDP in the National Assembly stand solidly behind the Kawu Baraje faction of the party during this era of unbridled tyranny. This decision is founded on our belief in justice, equity, fairness and total disdain for impunity and any act that tends to relegate our great party to the fiefdom of despotic political mandarins.”

He noted that impeachment was a constitutional instrument in the furtherance of constitutional of democracy and said that whether the lawmakers would opt for it eventually was  not for Hon. Kawu to determine.