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Tag: impeachment

  • Trump denounces Capitol violence as calls for his impeachment grow

    Trump denounces Capitol violence as calls for his impeachment grow

    Outgoing U.S President Donald Trump said he was “outraged by the violence, lawlessness and mayhem” after a group of his supporters stormed the Capitol and forced a halt to a Congressional joint sitting.

    Trump said demonstrators “defiled the seat of democracy” and added “to those who broke the law, you will pay,” in a video posted on Twitter.

    Trump did not acknowledge his role in riling up his supporters with with baseless allegations of election fraud and encouraging them to march to the Capitol.

    He promised a smooth transition to president-elect Joe Biden, who defeated him in November’s presidential election.

    “Now Congress has certified the results, a new administration will be inaugurated on Jan. 20.

    “My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power,” he said.

    However, in a message to his “wonderful supporters,” Trump added “I know you are disappointed but I also want you to know that our incredible journey is only just beginning.”

    The Democratic leaders in Congress, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, demanded that Vice President Mike Pence remove Trump under the Constitution’s 25th Amendment.

    The calls were echoed by a Republican governor, a Republican lawmaker and numerous House Democrats.

    “If the vice president and Cabinet do not act, the Congress may be prepared to move forward with impeachment,” Pelosi told a press conference.

    Trump was impeached in 2019, but the Senate cleared him of charges last year.

    U.S Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao became the first Cabinet official to announce their resignation following the attack on the U.S Capitol.

    Chao, who is the wife of Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, said the “traumatic and entirely avoidable event” had “deeply troubled” her.

    Deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger quit following the resignations of multiple administration officials.

    Late on Thursday, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany condemned the violence that took place on behalf of President Donald Trump and the entire White House.

    Trump had earlier issued a statement via his social media director saying there would be an orderly transition, the first time he made such comments since the election.

    Social media giant Facebook banned Trump from his accounts indefinitely, citing his intent to “undermine the peaceful and lawful transition of power.”

    Twitter had locked Trump’s account on Wednesday, though he was able to post from it nearly 24 hours later.

    U.S. lawmakers finally certified Biden’s election win in the early hours of Thursday.

    The joint session of Congress had been abruptly halted hours earlier after rioters breached both chambers of the Capitol building, forcing lawmakers to flee and hunker down until the siege ended.

    One woman was shot and killed by Capitol police during the assault, the force said in a statement.

    Authorities said three others died in separate medical emergencies.

    Police say they arrested 68 people.

    U.S. Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen said some participants in the violence at the U.S. Capitol would charged on Thursday and authorities would make more arrests in the coming days.

    The Justice Department would ensure that “those responsible for this attack on our government and the rule of law face the full consequences of their actions under the law,” he added.

    The U.S. Attorney’s office, in conjunction with the Justice Department’s counter-terrorism division, had so far charged 40 cases, officials said.

    The majority of those deal with unlawful entry on the Capitol grounds, while a small handful are assault cases. Eight of the cases were also firearm cases.

    Fifteen federal cases will also be filed later in the day.

    One man was arrested by federal agents with a military semi-automatic rifle and 11 Molotov cocktails, according to officials at the Department of Justice.

    A 2-metre-tall fence was being erected around the U.S. Capitol as of Thursday and will stay in place for the next 30 days, including for Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20.

    More National Guard troops from other states were being deployed to Washington.

    The FBI was seeking tips on identifying rioters.

    Amid criticism about how security failures allowed the mob to swarm the building, House Speaker Pelosi said she was seeking the resignation of Capitol police chief Steven Sund.

    Sund defended his force, which is dedicated to protecting the Capitol grounds, saying officers’ response was “heroic” in the face of “criminal riotous behaviour.”

    They were attacked by the rioters with metal pipes and chemical irritants, he said.

    After the House and Senate reconvened, McConnell condemned the ransacking of the Capitol as a “failed insurrection.”

    Although several Republican senators who had planned to raise objections to the counting of votes in states won by Biden changed course after the attack, two challenges were still put forward.

    The moves caused lengthy delays to the certification process, but both challenges were ultimately rejected.

    Longtime Trump loyalists including McConnell and Pence rebuffed the president’s demands to block the certification of the election.

    The violence around Congress was criticized by leaders around the world.

  • Just in: Speaker Pelosi demands Trump’s removal, threatens impeachment (+ Video)

    Just in: Speaker Pelosi demands Trump’s removal, threatens impeachment (+ Video)

    “If the vice president and the Cabinet do not act, the Congress may be prepared to move forward with impeachment,” Pelosi.

    Speaker, Nancy Pelosi has called on Vice President Mike Pence and the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to immediately remove President Donald Trump from office following the deadly riots at the U.S. Capitol.

    “If the vice president and the Cabinet do not act, the Congress may be prepared to move forward with impeachment,” Pelosi said.

    Pelosi joined a growing number of lawmakers in demanding the end to Trump’s presidency, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, either through the 25th Amendment or impeachment despite Trump having less than two weeks left in office.

    Democrats and many Republicans have blamed Trump for inciting his supporters to storm the Capitol Wednesday in a failed effort to block certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.

    Watch video:

  • Call for Buhari’s Impeachment Fallout: You’ve desecrated House Leader’s position, Hon Teejay Yusuf tells Ado Doguwa

    Call for Buhari’s Impeachment Fallout: You’ve desecrated House Leader’s position, Hon Teejay Yusuf tells Ado Doguwa

    …says you can’t feel the heat of insecurity because you’re carried away by your air-conditioned office
    …you grossly disappointed democracy
    By Emman Ovuakporie
    Peeved by the outbursts of House Majority Leader, Hon Ado Doguwa threatening to punish a fellow lawmaker for calling for the impeachment of President Muhamnadu Buhari, Hon Teejay Yusuf has described his colleague’s action as an act of desecrating democracy.
    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) recalls that Doguwa speaking during a plenary on Monday, December 21, House majority leader, Ado Doguwa, distanced the PDP from Chinda’s statement. He submitted that the lawmaker’s call for the impeachment of the president does not reflect the position of other members of the opposition party in the House.
    He still went ahead to declare that the Lawmaker would be punished for daring to call for the impeachment of Buhari over his inability to cage insecurity in Nigeria.
    In a statement simply tagged: ‘Response to Ado Doguwa’ Yusuf said:
    “By dabbling into opposition members’ affair, trying to speak for them and expressing crass sycophancy for the executive arm, House Leader, Hon Ado Garba Doguwa has thoroughly desecrated the high position he currently occupies.
    Yusuf ( PDP, Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu) said “a proper understanding of the duties and responsibilities of a House Leader in terms of policy formulation, party issues and democratic development would have motivated Hon Ado Garba Doguwa to respond to the Minister of Justice’ s view that the House cannot invite the President over grave national issues.
    “People who are supposed to be knowledgeable should be adding value to robust democratic processes and practice.
    “But for someone who has been around the House of Representatives since 1991 to denigrate or belittle such, is very anti-democratic, highly disappointing, prankish and embarrassing to us all,” Yusuf stated.
    Dismissing Hon Doguwa’s threat to mobilise for sanctions against the leader of PDP House Caucus, Hon. Kingsley Chinda over his call for impeachment of President Muhammadu Buhari, Hon Yusuf stated that such wishful thinking antagonizes the rising concern of Nigerian citizens.
    “Hon. Doguwa is so carried away by the air-conditioning in his Office that he can neither feel the heat of bandits and terrorists’ daily killings and abductions on innocent citizens in rural and urban parts across the North and southern Nigeria.
    “He grossly disappointed democracy by failing to realise that Hon Chinda only called for the use of an impeachment as a tool for the furtherance of democracy without going outside the rule of law.
    “Very clearly and effectively, Hon Kingsley Chinda speaks for those of us who are members of the House PDP Caucus; it is a gross anomaly for any Doguwa to dabble into our affairs, see himself as a legitimate usurper or impersonator and proclaim to a gullible audience that he does not think that Hon Chinda is speaking for us.
    “Sycophancy from APC figures like Hon Doguwa has thoroughly lulled the executive arm into slumber, generating unprecedented level of youth unemployment and singling out this administration as the only one to record two recessions in the history of Nigeria.
    “Hon Doguwa got it wrong and it is very sad that the high expectations of the high position that he occupies is being brought low with such impunity and wanton disregard for the opposition’s democratic rights to make a call that resonates with millions of deeply concerned citizens of Nigeria,” Yusuf stated.
  • Presidency fault PDP’s call for Buhari’s impeachment over Osinbajo’s tweet on security

    Presidency fault PDP’s call for Buhari’s impeachment over Osinbajo’s tweet on security

    Sen. Babafemi Ojudu, Special Adviser on Political Matters to the President, Office of the Vice President, has decried attempt by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to twist a 2015 tweet by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

    Ojudu, in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, also described the call by PDP Caucus’ of the House of Representatives for commencement of impeachment proceedings against President Muhammadu Buhari as mischief.

    “Equally suspect is the PDP Caucus’ disingenuous attempt to misrepresent a 2015 tweet by the Vice President and completely but deliberately change its import and meaning.

    “The vice presidential candidate of the APC tweeted at a time when Nigeria was facing one of its darkest periods due to incessant terrorist attacks in some parts of the country, including the FCT.

    “In fact at the time the tweet was done on Feb. 8, 2015, the then Federal Government had said it could not guarantee the security in parts of the country for the election to hold and actually elections were postponed because of that stance of the Jonathan Presidency.’’

    He said, however, that opposition elements had disingenuously twisted it out of context even insinuating as though it was a recent tweet.

    Ojudu said that the vice president never said such in relation to Buhari.

    He added that Buhari had never said that he had lost the capacity to guarantee the security of lives and property of Nigerians.

    “On the contrary, he remains fully committed to the welfare and protection of all Nigerians across the country.

    “As the president noted concerning the senseless murder of hardworking farmers in November by terrorists in Zabarmari community in Jere Local Government of Borno State, the Nigerian Armed Forces will continue to be given all the needed support to take all necessary steps to protect the country’s population and its territory.

    “Nigerians should ignore the misrepresentation and misleading narrative by the PDP House of Representative Caucus, which is an obvious attempt at mischief and causing disaffection.

    “The security and welfare of Nigerians remains one of the cardinal purposes of the Buhari administration and it will continue to take proactive steps to tackle the country’s security challenges,’’ he said.

  • Buhari’s impeachment is constitutional – PDP

    Buhari’s impeachment is constitutional – PDP

    …says call was a direct reflection of the mood of Nigerians

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) asserts that the call by its caucus in the House of Representatives asking Nigerians to direct their representatives, across party lines, to commence impeachment process against President Muhammadu Buhari is constitutional and democratic.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) recalls that the PDP caucus had on Saturday issued a statement asking constituents across Nigeria to ask their representatives across party lines to demand for President Muhamnadu Buhari’s impeachment.

    This development didn’t go down well with the House leadership that immediately issued a statement attacking the author of the the statement using unprintable graffiti.

    Apparently reacting to the lacklustre statement, the party through its Publicity Scribe, Kola Oligbondiyan stated that the call is a direct reflection of the mood and desires of the Nigerian people, given President Buhari, manifest failure in all spheres of governance and particularly in failing to provide an effective leadership that can guarantee the security of our nation and rescue our economy, which has collapsed in his hands.

    “As a party, the PDP had always called on our federal legislators in the House of Representatives and the Senate, irrespective of political affiliations, to stand on the side of the people by deploying the legislative instruments provided in the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to rescue the ship of state.

    “The Buhari administration had already accepted failure as reflected in the declaration by one of its officials, that the nation is now at the mercy of bandits and terrorists, a development that signals that it has outlived its usefulness.

    “President Buhari is elected by the people; his stay in office is also dependent on the people as vested on them by the Constitution, through their elected representatives in the National Assembly.

    “The PDP therefore urges Nigerians to eschew all primordial sentiments and stand for the nation at this critical time,” the statement reads.

  • PDP Reps to Nigerians: Tell your Reps in NASS to start throwing articles of impeachment against Buhari

    PDP Reps to Nigerians: Tell your Reps in NASS to start throwing articles of impeachment against Buhari

    …for breaching Section 14(2)(b)

    …say body language of Buhari worrisome as it emboldens terrorists

    …insist Nigeria is in the grips of clowns

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Caucus in the House of Representatives has asked Nigerians to compel their representatives in the National Assembly to start throwing articles of impeachment against President Muhammadu Buhari for gross incompetence and persistent and continuous breach of Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution.

    The Section provides ” the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government; …”

    The caucus also wants members of the Federal Executive Council to invoke the provisions of Section 144 (1) of the Constitution by declaring that the President is incapable of discharging the functions of the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    The Section provides ” The President or Vice-President shall cease to hold office, if- by a resolution passed by two-thirds majority of all the members of the executive council of the Federation, it is declared that the President or Vice-President is incapable of discharging the functions of his office: ”

    PDP caucus leader, Rep. Kingsley Chinda Obo Akpor Federal Constituency of Rivers State, said in a statement in Abuja on Saturday that it was disheartening to the PDP Caucus that the President has failed to lead Nigerians from the front as he promised. Nigerians are daily and defencelessly killed by terrorists and bandits, while the economy is being freely bled by public officers.

    Chinda, who spoke on behalf of the Caucus reacting to the recent killing of farmers in Zambarmari area of Borno state, adding that the reactions of the presidency and the military to such killings “highlight a certain crassness and lame duck attitude that has for the past five years come to define the Buhari presidency”.

    He said that the body language of the government is worrisome as it emboldens terrorists in the country, the greater worries for the country however, is “the do-nothing posturing and the effeminate reactions of the presidency and the military that follow the dastardly attacks.”

    He said: “The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Caucus in the House of Representatives have observed with deep pain the dastardly attacks on poor farmers which have continued unabated across the vast swathes of northern Nigeria, which act came to a sad climax over the weekend in Zabarmari, near Maiduguri, north east Nigeria.”

    “The attacks continue to take a consistent pattern – a pattern that results in mass deaths and emboldens the insurgents to embark on more spectacular attacks that provide them national and global attention. While the emboldening of terrorists remain sources of worry, the greater worries for us is the do-nothing posturing and the effeminate reactions of the presidency and the military that follow the dastardly attacks.”

    “The reactions of the presidency and the military highlight a certain crassness and lame duck attitude that has for the past five years come to define the Buhari presidency,” the statement said.

    It further expressed regrets that “Northern Nigeria has long become the vortex of massacres. From Buni Yadi, Gamboru, Baga, Gwoza, Shiroro, Konduga, Kawuri, Southern Kaduna to Benue and certainly everywhere else in Nigeria, lives are being snatched by insurgents, bandits and kidnappers who have no respect for the sanctity of life. ”

    “While President Buhari idles in the typical fashion of Emperor Nero as our country burns. Questions must be asked about his capacity to lead at a time that our country desires robust and responsible leadership that can pull it from the brink and rescue it from the debilitions of insurgents, terrorists, bandits and kidnappers.”

    “President Buhari is unwilling, (as it consistently appears,) to provide leadership to our fast collapsing country. Rather than take the proverbial bull by the horn, President Buhari ensconces himself in Aso Rock, typical of a Mourner-in-Chief, and issues press statements that make no meaning to a grieving nation”.

    The lawmakers reminded the President that “a true leader who is worth every ounce of respect leads from the front as you assured Nigerians that you will do; a true leader doesn’t hide away from those he leads and pretends to mourn with the circus, whilst in fact, he lacks empathy and compassion.”

    “When a country elects a clown as its President based on sentiments and deceit, the country becomes saddled with circus, pantomime jesters who reduce statecraft to utter joke.

    “Our country is in the grips of the clowns, hyenas and the circus is on.

    We need to rescue Nigeria from the clowns, acrobats, trapeze actors, hawks and hyenas manipulating the statecraft”, the statement added.

    It further stressed: “As Vice-president Yemi Osibanjo SAN tweeted ‘if the President says I’ve lost the capacity to guarantee the security of lives and property, it’s certainly an impeachable offence”.

    “Most painful is that whilst leadership is completely absent in Nigeria and the country dovetailing to a state of survival of the fittest, the economy is being fleeced in an unprecedented manner by public office holders.

    “Recall the warning by Albert Einstien that ‘the world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything’.

    “We call on Nigerians across tribe, religion and political party to wake up their National Assembly Members” and compel them to commence impeachment process against President Buhari to save Nigeria,” Chinda stated.

  • Impeachment: Edo PDP women storm Assembly, insist Okiye remains Speaker [Photo]

    Impeachment: Edo PDP women storm Assembly, insist Okiye remains Speaker [Photo]

    Thousands of Edo PDP women on Friday stormed the premises of the State House of Assembly, in solidarity with the Speaker of the House, Mr. Frank Okiye.

    Led by Edo South woman leader of PDP, Lady Uwa Osunbor, the women denounced the purported impeachment of Okiye by the 17 members-elect who were allegedly inaugurated on Thursday at an unknown venue, with Mr. Tiger Victor Edoror elected Speaker.

    Lady Osunbor said: “We voted for them since last year, they are supposed to be in Edo Assembly to perform their duty, but they relocate to Abuja.

    “They are aware the the election is approaching, now that we are ready to vote to re-elect our Governor, they don’t have what to campaign with, they decide to use the House of Assembly to cause confusion, and we are not going to agree with them.

    “When we elected them, they preferred to stay put in Abuja. Let them remain in Abuja. They should not come to disturb us here. We are not tigers and lions, we are compassionate mothers. We are here to beg Edo women, Edo youths, not to listen to them.”

    Lady Osunbor, who said that Edo State is a peaceful state, insisted that they already have a Speaker in the person of Rt. Hon. Frank Okiye.

    She added: “All what they did in somebody’s private living room is not for Edo state, we have not inaugurated them, the people we inaugurated are already doing the legislative business. Let them go back to Abuja with their trouble. We are preparing for election to re-elect our Governor and they cannot disturb us.

    “That is why we are here to show solidarity with our Speaker, Hon. Okiye. He is the Speaker that we know.”

  • How my prayers saved Obaseki from impeachment – Oba of Benin

    How my prayers saved Obaseki from impeachment – Oba of Benin

    The Benin Monarch, Oba Ewuare II, on Saturday said he thanked God that the Governor Godwin Obaseki has not been impeached despite the turbulence that has characteried the politics of Edo State under his leadership.
    The monarch who disclosed this when Obaseki, led some Governors, Senators and other top-ranking officials of the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP), on a courtesy call on him in his palace recalled that the Edo State Governor had asked him for prayers so that he will complete his tenure.
    “I remembered when I visited Governor Obaseki in his office, he asked me to pray for him to be able to complete his tenure in office and I did and today, he has not been impeached despite the ups and downs and I thank my God and my ancestors for answering my prayers.“When I also visited Rivers and the Cross Rivers States, the Governors there asked me to intervene in the Edo State political crisis and I said I will not give up and that we have been praying and I thank God and our ancestors that we had the primary elections in the state and there was no bloodshed and it was so peaceful.

    Ahead of the September 19 gubernatorial election in Edo state, Oba Ewuare II, disclosed that the State Council of Traditional Rulers and Chiefs will also hold prayer and fasting sessions for a peaceful election in the state.
    “And now as we are about going to the governorship election proper, I am going to summon Edo State Council of Traditional Rulers and Chiefs to pray for a peaceful election in the state.“We all know that there is nothing prayers cannot do. It is prayers that have been keeping the country going,” he said.

    Oba Ewuare II disclosed that the Palace usually pray for a person with the intention of providing good leadership for the people of the state, create employment, so that the people will be able to put foods on their tables and respect the traditional institution to emerge as the governor.Earlier, the National Chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, told the Benin monarch that they were in the palace to pay obeisance to him and to also seek his blessings and permission to go on with their campaign in the state.

    Also speaking, Governor Nyeson Wike of Rivers State, thanked the monarch for being a shining light in the country noting that his prayers have kept the country going.

    He added that after the September 19 governorship election, they will also come to say thank you to him.

    In his part, Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, told the monarch that he has decided to come to the palace to seek for his blessings before he continues with his campaign in the state.

  • Impeachment: Ondo CJ declines Assembly’s requests to set up panel on Deputy Gov

    Impeachment: Ondo CJ declines Assembly’s requests to set up panel on Deputy Gov

    The ongoing move to impeach Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Hon Agboola Ajayi, has been stalled following refusal of the Chief Judge of the State, Justice Olaranwaju Akeredolu, to set up a seven-man investigative panel.

    Speaker Bamidele Oleyelogun had written to the Chief Judge that impeachment notice has been served on Hon Ajayi.

    A total of 14 lawmakers signed an impeachment notice against Ajayi.

    Speaker Oleyelogun informed Justice Akeredolu that setting up of the panel was in line with section 188 (5) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

    A letter to the CJ and signed by the Speaker reads: “By the Resolution of the House today pursuant to Section 188 (3) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution as amended it was resolved that the allegations be investigated forthwith.

    “It is in line with the above that request that you set up the 7-man panel to conduct the investigation as resolved by the Honourable House and the Panel, shall soon as possible, report back to the House.”

    But the Justice Akeredolu, in a letter dated July 9 and addressed to the Speaker, said the lawmakers have not completed the constitutional process that would lead the Speaker to invite her to set up an investigative panel as stipulated by the Constitution.

    Akeredolu said she also received a letter from Kayode Olatoke SAN that the matter of the impeachment of Ajayi was subjudice.

  • UPDATE: Watch Ondo lawmakers in heated argument over impeachment proceedings against Deputy Gov

    UPDATE: Watch Ondo lawmakers in heated argument over impeachment proceedings against Deputy Gov

    There’s confusion in Ondo State House of Assembly on Tuesday as the state House of Assembly served the Deputy Governor of the state, Mr Agboola Ajayi, the impeachment notice over allegation of gross misconduct.

    Watch video:

     

    Nine members of the Ondo State House of Assembly have dissociated themselves from the ongoing impeachment proceedings against the Deputy Governor, Hon. Agboola Ajayi.

     

    The nine lawmakers in a joint letter written to the Speaker, said their decision to backtrack from the impeachment proceedings against the Deputy Governor was based on personal convictions.

    TheNewsGuru.com TNG reports that Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and his deputy have been locked in a political battle that recently saw the deputy governor cross carpet from the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) to main opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Meanwhile, checks by TNG revealed that the assembly comprising of 26 members including the principal officers might constitute a quorum needed to continue with the impeachment proceedings despite withdrawal of these nine members loyal to the embattled deputy governor if the remaining 17 members give their consent.

    More details later…

    Read letter below: