 Welcome back. Now time to delve into our first major conversation. We have a apology mayor, global affairs analyst standing by. But let's quickly inform you that rising above parts of politics or personal relationships, over 80 senators in Nigeria across political parties and a majority of House of Representatives and members yesterday agreed to commence impeachment proceedings against President Muhammad Buhari if the growing insecurity across the nation persists beyond six weeks, being the ultimatum handed the government before the legislature shut down till September 20, 2022. Now the decision was taken after their respective closed door sessions before the commencement of plenary presided over by the senate president Ahmed Lawan who also charged the security agencies to do more in order to stop the terrorists and the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Idris Wasi. But the presidency last night reacted to the reported move by the Senate to commence impeachment moves against President Muhammad Buhari, advising the senators to stop playing to the gallery like their counterparts in the United States, otherwise staging a walkout was performative and babyish. It's interesting to see them refer to the counterparts in the United States. We have joining us to discuss this global affairs analyst Paul Ejime who is joining us live for Zoom in the nation's capital, Abuja. Mr. Ejime, thank you very much for your time. I think you being in Abuja is a perfect way for us to be able to feel the pulse of the nation through your analysis. Before we get to the heart of the matter, the federal government in its reaction to this issue, you know, urged the senators and House of Representatives not to be babyish and they referred to the American Congress, U.S. Congress. Is this a smart thing to say looking at, you know, the relationship between America and Nigeria? So, thank you, Kofi, for having me. It's a drizzling here with some little rain, so I want to note that there will be sunshine later in the day and less protests and less walkouts. Now to the reaction of the president. You are asking me to comment on, I think one of those statements came from a colleague. So I wouldn't begin to delve into that. I know they are doing their job or so they will say. But what is happening to Nigeria today in terms of insecurity is not China. In fact, we can say that we are in a very lost situation in terms of physical insecurity. Social insecurity. And then even through this security, a room of bread that you used to buy, maybe 500, 200 is now going for 1000. And then everywhere with security is there that a Buddha that used to be the same heaven. Remember that at one point the senators or lawmakers will tell you that they are not able to go to their villages because of insecurity. Now, even if the chicken is coming up to roost and everybody is afraid, it's showing that there is something that we should all be concerned about. It's not just about the presidency or the National Assembly. I think this is in Nigeria a national issue. Security is a collective issue that everybody should be concerned about. Talk about Nigerians. What about those who are calling us? Who might want to? And we are talking about them. How can they come to Nigeria when Nigerians are not safe in that place? This talk of impeachment is a very grave one. Do you think that the current state of affairs, the performance of the president, the mood of the nation calls for such talk at this time? Is this what the members of the National Assembly should be discussing? Looking at the mood of the nation, does the performance and the gravity of the situation also call for such talk for the use of such words? Impeachment is somehow rarely used amongst the polity or in the polity except it's absolutely necessary. Is it necessary at this time? Well, in politics, it's fair again that everything goes just like in warfare. But, yeah, remember they have issued this and they are also going on research. I think almost the same amount of weeks that they have issued these automations and then you begin to ask why this time, why did they wait and what is the appropriate at this time. I think security is an issue that is serious. Whether you can get it through impeachment is another matter. But I think that they, as non-makers, they are elected to secure government. They are part of government, if you ask me. To secure and the role of government, the responsibility of government is to secure the welfare and security of citizens. And when the government cannot do that, and they are part of it, they are the ones looking into appropriation. I had one of them saying, well, they have given the government all that they needed. But did they follow up? What has happened to the money that they have allocated or they have appropriated? If money were misused, what did they do in terms of their oversight functions to make sure to call people to order? I haven't seen them hold an institution to dismiss it. During the oversight, we noticed that money has not been properly used. We are now calling on person-to-person to account. I haven't seen that. So I think everybody is complicit. It is not just the presidency. Even the non-naginians, those who are holding positions of leadership, I tell you at any level, we have a failed institution. And I think we owe it a duty. The presidency, the legislature, the judiciary, and all that is to pull back, to get this country back from the precipice. Because what we are talking about in the next year, the way things are going, it is dangerous. And it doesn't go well for the kind of democracy, for the kind of non-naginist image. And, you know, most popular black nation. As a country that is considered a regional power in West Africa, Africa is looking up to Nigeria to show leadership. The world is looking up to Nigeria to show leadership. I don't think Nigeria is showing leadership in the way security is being managed. I know terrorism and all that is a global issue. But let people be seen to be doing their job. You know, the assembly, the governments, the three arms of government, and then all the non-naginians, when you are given a task, carry it out. We prioritize them on responsibility. I think we are all feeling. And then this particular is not coming home to lose. We need to pull back and then re-examine. There is time for reality check. Because Nigeria cannot miss, it's not sustainable. Nigeria cannot continue this way. Alright. We look at the fact that 80 senators are on this impeachment train. And this is across party lines. So it's a bipartisan ambition or bipartisan threat, if you want to call it that. And we're told from the reports that the majority of the membership of House of Representatives are also on board with this view that if the president cannot solve the security problems in the country in the next six weeks that they will commence impeachment proceedings against him now. How real is this threat? Looking at the number of those who are on board, do you think it's something that is possible to happen in the next six weeks? Do you think the president should take this threat seriously? Because no president in the history of Nigeria has been impeached. Well, you may ask the question. This administration, the president they are trying to impeach has a couple of months to stay. And then you will say, if you remove him, who do you replace him with? And then what will the person, what is the person going to do? You probably have another APC person and the ruling government having to step in. And so it is not really about this assembly has not acquitted itself creditably. Remember before now, this was an assembly that even said that whatever the president brings, they, you know, they will approve. Many have called their names as Robba Scamp and then regime stabilizing assembly. Are they just waking up to their responsibility? Is it not too late in the day? I think they have now to, I don't know whether it's because you are talking about age. Remember we have them, you know, is it a hundred of them? If they are doing that, do they have the capacity? And they didn't want the country needs now. Perhaps they are trying to show their constituency that they are concerned, that they are doing something. Or like somebody said maybe they are not feeling the heat. That is why they are taking this precipitated action. But it was wrong in coming. And a threat to any part of Nigeria is a threat to Nigeria. It doesn't matter whether it is in the North East, in the North West, in Central or in the East or the West. This thing has been going on for a long time and then they didn't talk about this. Do they have the capacity to do that? That is the issue. And is that what, is that the solution? I think instead of thinking about zero in in on them, just a one section of government, the presidency, let everybody put on their thinking camps. Everybody has failed. Both, like I said, both the executive arm, the legislative arm and then the judicial arm. So I think let all put hands together to get back, recover Nigeria from the pandits, from those who are trying to take it from us. And Nigeria can do that. Nigeria has the power, the military power and then the means to do that. So we begin to question maybe the commitment of everybody, whether the ruling party or the opposition. We did a vibrant opposition to put government on their toes. But you cannot do that. You don't wait until seven years and six months or whatever to begin to wake up from sleep. I think it's too late in the day. Let us think about how we can survive. It's an existential issue that Nigeria is talking about. The existence of Nigeria is a state. You know, if it's a federal capital becomes insecure, then what is left of the rest of the country? If terrorists can be threatening the government, threatening the president, they can be attacking the guards and lead a call of guarding the president. If they can, you know, release criminals from a correctional center in Abu Dhabi. If they are causing people to now rethink about coming to Abu Dhabi, then something is wrong. I think everybody should wake up. I don't think impeachment will solve it. Let us, let everybody, all arms of government and Nigeria, I say, oh, rescue Nigeria from itself. All right. Will it be fair to say that, like you've said, you know, these senators and House of Representatives members are simply just trying to, you know, give the impression to their constituents that they are still there and they're on top of the game and they are doing something about the situation. And even though it's late in the day, you've said it all, sir, that it's an existential threat we face as a nation with terrorists roaming, you know, the forests and bushes and the communities around Abu Dhabi and in the FCT as a whole. Is it too late to save the nation from collapse? Because if they take over Abu Dhabi and they take over Asurok, then they've taken over the nation. That's the seat of power. So is it too late? If these senators and House of Representatives perceive that things are getting out of hand fast, is it too late to act even though it's a few months to the termination of the president's tenor in May 2023? No. It depends on what action you are taking. If now you have lost six weeks, remember they have given us these weeks and they have gone on the break, on the set. So by the time they come, the government will be going closer to each, the time it will hand over. But let's watch it. We are talking about elections, if there is no security, the problem is we will not be an election. So it is so serious. It is so perilous, we are living in perilous times, that we need to do whatever is possible to recover ideas from the hands of these armed groups that are taking control. That everybody is paying families, they are paying money to get back their family members that have been kidnapped. Those that have been kidnapped from the Abu Dhabi, the Kaduna train, you saw videos of how the trauma they are going through. People being thrown up like that. And this is showing, if you saw this on the wrong one, it doesn't speak well of Nigeria. It will be a shame, it's a national embarrassment for you to go and tell your people that you are from Nigeria. And they will show you when you are in Nigeria, look at what is happening. Are you telling me that Nigeria, with all it has, with all its people and resources, will not be able to address this kind of movement into Abnaki? And then you begin to ask yourself, where are we? What is happening? So, this is taken, no action, it's too late, but impeachment, it takes a very long time and they will be playing politics with it. It's the politics that is involved there that should be removed. This is not the case of APC or PDP or Labour Party. When these people come, they have shown that they can kill not anybody, and when the bullets are fired, it does not respect their political parties. So, insecurity does not respect anybody. You can have all the security details, but you cannot go with them to sleep. There are people who decide to strike when you leave the spot, so everybody should be on their toes. Particularly those that have been elected, those that campaign and have to be given power. They owe it duty, they have a responsibility to live up to their constitutional responsibility or protecting the well-being and life security of Nigerians. If they are not doing that, history will judge them. Not just this time, posterity will be hard on them that they say and it will be on their watch that all these things happen. This assembly cannot extrude itself in the presidency. It's not the time for finger-pointing. Everybody should come to the table and bring ideas about how to rescue Nigeria from those who are trying to take it from us. We are in very bad shape and it's not good for our humans, it's not good for whatever, as a nation. It's a national embarrassment and we need to find a solution to it. We have about eight steps to go through. That's the legislature, if they would successfully impeach the president. The first step was the notice of any allegation in writing a legitimate gross based conduct on the power of the president. One third of the members of the National Assembly, both the Senate and the House of Representatives, is one third and then presented to the Senate president. The second step is the Senate president must, within seven days, serve the president and each member of the National Assembly with a copy of the notice of allegation. Step three, the president has a right to reply and any such statement and reply to the allegation must be served on each member of the National Assembly. Step four, within 14 days of the presentation of the notice to the Senate president, each House of the National Assembly shall resolve by motion without any debate whether or not the allegation shall be investigated. Now this motion needs to be passed by at least two-thirds majority of all members of each House of Assembly. The fifth step is if the motion fails to reach the required majority, the process immediately stops and no further action will be taken. However, if the required majority, if the required majority is obtained and the motion is passed then the Senate president will within seven days of the passing of the motion request the Chief Justice of Nigeria to appoint a panel of seven persons who in his opinion are of unquestionable integrity to investigate the allegations. The members of the panel cannot be members of any public service legislative house or political party. The sixth step is the panel is to report its findings within three months of being appointed. The findings will be reported to each House of the National Assembly during the proceedings. Of the panel, the president shall have the right to defend himself and shall also have the right to be defended by a legal practitioner of his or her choice. The seventh step is where the panel reports that the allegation has not been proven. There will be no further action. However, if the report is that the allegation against the president has been proven then the National Assembly will consider the report and the resolution for the adoption of the report shall be moved. The eighth step is for the resolution to be now adopted by the National Assembly. It must be supported by no less than two-thirds majority of all members of each House once adopted the president shall stand removed from office as from the date of the adoption of that report. So it's a long process. Like you said, you have six weeks of automating. That's about two months. So we look at August, September, and from September. If they start it, they have to run through the process. So the whole of September at LES, if the panel is to be formed, you have October, November, December. All right. So they can be done with this whole process in December. But of course, you look at the recess of the House, Mr. Jimé, you know, on Christmas and all that. Then we're looking at maybe January. So if they are done with this process at LES, it should be probably in January, February, March, April, May, four months before the president leaves. So there's still time. Final, just a yes or no. If the situation gets worse in the next six weeks, should the president be impeached? I think you're asking the wrong person. I am not a member of the National Assembly. You are not going to ask a yes or no. But look at how long it has taken you to narrate how long it will take. The next one is February and March. And then the government is supposed to handle it by May. So beyond the symbolism or the fact that these people are trying to maybe appeal to their own constituency, it is not practicable that an impeachment will take place. Remember that the government will also use the numbers to fill the bus stops on the move. And then we may end up not having it done. So the strategy to do is to do what is practicable. Let everybody put their hands together and rescue Nigeria from the bandits. Thank you, sir. We have to go. We hope that there will be enough security and safety for there to be an election, at least even in Abuja, to start with in February and March. Thank you very much for your time. Paul Ejime Global Affairs Analyst, who has joined us live from Abuja. Please stay safe. Thank you for having me. The Nara is falling to record lows against the US dollar. When we come back, we speak with an expert as we analyze the developments in the last few hours. Please stay with us.