Baraje reveals only way Saraki can be impeached

Kawu Baraje

Kawu Baraje, a former leader of the Reformed All Progressives Congress, R-APC, who decamped to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Thursday, has spoken on the plans to impeach the Senate President, Bukola Saraki.

Baraje said it is two-thirds of the entire 109 senators that can impeach Saraki and not two third of the Senators that are present on the day of any planned impeachment.

He said this while addressing journalists in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

According to Baraje, “I am not a senator, but I am a party leader and a politician. As a politician, you don’t just sit down without educating yourself. I have read the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Whenever there is any controversy about any issue, I read the constitution.

“I have gone through the relevant section,s particularly on the issue of impeachment. The constitution makes me understand that only senators can elect their president and also only senators can impeach their President. The constitution also stipulates the offences he must have committed to be impeached. Having seen the offences committed, they will go into votes.

“Two third of the entire 109 senators not two third of the senators that are present on the day of the impeachment. It is because of the background of some us that we do not talk too much. Because we believe that we should listen more rather than talking more.

“There is a lot of respect in listening more. The fact that we listen more does not mean we do not know our rights. There are so many things being said on this issue of impeachment that is insulting the sensibilities of Nigerians particularly those of us that can read and right.

“It is most unfortunate that somebody will just come up to talk of impeachment as if we are in a banana republic. Some of us have experiences of leading political parties and if issues like these come up we know how to handle them. It needs a lot of patience, exposure, a lot of education and cool-headedness.

“It is not by Gestapo approach. In any case, the senators are making Nigerians realise through their body language that as far as they are concerned they are not ready to impeach their president.

“Any sensible leader should have understood that language that the senators are not going the way some people want to go; which is the way of causing confusion between the executive and the legislature. The present situation exists between the executive and the legislature was caused by some people who do not want the two arms to work together because they will never gain out of it.”