The plot to impeach Saraki as senate president is thickening with 52 senators elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) carefully plotting to unseat him before the house reconvenes in September, National Daily has gathered.
The plot involves garnering the signatures constitutionally required to impeach the senate president and using law enforcement to smother whatever stands in the way, the sources enumerated.
Following a series of face-offs and cold wars with the APC hierarchy, Saraki announced his decision to return to the PDP on July 31, 2018.
However, Saraki’s insistence on staying on as senate president even though his new party—the PDP—numerically remains the minority in parliament, has set in motion a high powered plot to have him impeached.
Last Wednesday, House Deputy Minority Leader, Hon Chukwuka Onyema (PDP) said that three APC senators in Ali Ndume, Abdullahi Adamu and Ovie Omo-Agege attempted to break into the senate chamber on Wednesday, August 1, 2018 but were prevented from doing so by security personnel.
Onyema said the plan by the APC senators revolves around reconvening plenary before September and cooking up the figures constitutionally required to impeach Saraki as senate president.
The APC requires two thirds majority of lawmakers (that’s 76 senators) to be able to impeach Saraki in a 109 member senate.
At the last count, the APC has 52 senators to PDP’s 51.The APC believes that the two vacant seats in Bauchi and Katsina will eventually add to its numerical column.
A Saraki ally and former spokesperson of the APC, Timi Frank, reminded the senators cooking up the plot that no other person can reconvene the senate except its presiding or principal officers.
Frank said “the Special Adviser to the president on national assembly matters (senate), Ita Enang was caught on video leading about 10 APC Senators, led by the Senate Leader Ahmad Lawan to meet with the president and to urge the president to provide them security to enable them forcefully open the doors of the senate chambers and conduct an illegal sitting.
“This, if allowed to happen, will not only represent a clear breach of the constitution but the height of illegality and impunity in this country. The APC senators are only interested in gaining access to the chambers to carry out a sinister motive against the presiding officers of the senate.
However, APC Chairman Adams Oshiomhole has asked Saraki to relinquish the crown after jumping ship.
According to Oshiomhole: “The only thing is that there are other consequential issues that every man or woman of honour who had taken such decisions, would be expected to follow through.
“As it stands even now, APC is still the largest party in the Senate. We have 53 senators, that is much more than PDP or APGA has.”
Senator Abu Ibrahim (APC) has also warned that there will be no peace in the senate until Saraki is removed as president of the upper legislative chamber.