The fiery lawyer said Nigeria has attained the stage to impeach the president because the government has failed in its primary duties.
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has called on the National Assembly to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari, saying his administration has “outlived its usefulness” following the worsening insecurity across Nigeria.
Mr Falana who spoke on the sidelines of an event to mark world Press Freedom Day, said Nigeria was at war, as the current administration can no longer perform its function of securing lives and properties, Plus TV reported.
Stressing that the country is plagued by security challenges such as banditry and mass abductions currently raging across northern parts of the country and the South-West as well as incessant attacks on security agencies by unknown gunmen in South-East and South-South. He explained that the Boko Haram insurgents have taken over the North-East.
“Our country is going through war. In the North-East the Boko Haram sect is having an upper hand, don’t be deceived,” Mr Falana said, noting that the insurgents are now in Niger and Kebbi.
“I’m sure you know what is going on in the South-East, no policeman or soldier can wear his uniform- it’s as bad. I’m sure you know what is going on in the South-West, kidnapping, ritual murders all over the place. So, nowhere is safe in our country,” he said.
Barely two weeks ago, Peoples Gazette reported that Boko Haram had taken over communities in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, imposing VAT and income taxes on residents.
The state governor, Sani Bello, also announced the displacement of many residents by insurgents around Munya and Shiroro local government areas, stating that over 3,000 people have been displaced by Boko Haram’s activities.
Citing the section 143 of the constitution which provides that “The President or Vice-President may be removed from office in accordance with the provisions of this section,” Mr Falana berated the current administration saying that “a regime that has outlived its usefulness boasts that no one can suggest that the president should resign.
“For them, it’s a reasonable statement to ask the president to resign. But for me I submit by virtue of section 143 and we didn’t put it. If the president is unable to perform the primary functions of his office, the National Assembly shall move for him and ensure that he is neatly taken away out power through the process of impeachment,” he said.
According to the lawyer, Nigeria has attained that stage because the government has failed in its primary duties.
“I think Nigeria has gotten to that stage because section 14 (2) (3) provides that the primary purpose of the government in Nigeria shall be the security and welfare of the people, so if the government can neither guarantee your security nor your welfare, what is left for that government to be sacked,” said the lawyer who once claimed that Buhari’s regime knows those that are breaching the peace of the country.
Insecurity has worsened under the president’s watch, as number of daily attacks leave Nigerians raising doubts if the retired major general is still in control of the country.
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A recent report published by BudgIT, a civic-tech non-profit organisation, indicated that Mr Buhari has spent at least N10 trillion in his unsuccessful campaign against Boko Haram insurgency and banditry.
Amid Mr Buhari’s unrestrained spending spree, federal agencies have also been accused of using “security votes” to clean out the public treasury.
The good governance body called for a probe of Mr Buhari’s unaudited humongous military spendings since he assumed office in 2015.
It disclosed that N1.9 trillion was allocated for the security sector in the 2021 budget, a 14 per cent increase from N1.78 trillion allocated in 2020.
Despite the increase in the funds allocated and Mr Buhari’s promises to crush insurgents, the country continues to experience daily killings and kidnaps at the hands of Boko Haram, bandits, and killer herdsmen.
It is earlier repoterd that as part of efforts to curb the security challenges bedevilling the country, the government has been urged to recruit more security personnel to help in the fight against insecurity.
The call was made in Lagos at a stakeholders roundtable meeting organised by Avocats SANs Frontiers France otherwise known as Lawyers Without Borders ‘SAFE’ Project.
Participants lamented that Nigeria’s total security statistics of less than 450,000 personnel guarding about 200 million people were grossly inadequate and could not guarantee efficient security architecture and protection of human rights.
Mrs Angela Uwandu, head of office ASF France in Nigeria, said that the SAFE project falls within the context of human rights violations including torture, extrajudicial killings and arbitrary detentions by security agencies in the country.
