Ohaneze Ndigbo calls for the impeachment of Ahmad Lawan over his opposition to restructuring

PAN-cultural organisation Ohanaeze Ndigbo has called for the impeachment of senate president Senator Ahmad Lawan over his recent opposition to calls for the restructuring of the country as advocated by the Southern Governors Forum.

Last week, the Southern Governors Forum met in the Delta State capital Asaba where it agreed on a communique that addressed several of the nation's woes. Measures it called for include the convocation of a national summit to agree on restructuring, a ban on open grazing across southern Nigeria and a call on President Muhammadu Buhari to address the growing insecurity across the nation.

However, Senator Lawan opposed the call for restructuring, saying that the governors should implement such measures in their states first. He sounded a note of caution, saying that although he was not against those calling for restructuring, elected officials must not be among those advocating such.

Senator Lawan said: “The call for secession or the call for restructuring, many are genuine calls even though I never believe that someone who is calling for secession means well or is a misguided person. However,  I believe that when somebody calls for improving the structure that we have, it is a genuine call.

“But I want to advice here, I believe that as leaders those of us who were elected must not be at the forefront of calling for this kind of thing because even if you are a governor you are supposed to be working hard in your state to ensure that this restructuring you are calling for at the federal level, you have done it in your state as well. This is because what you may accuse the federal government of whatever it is, you may also be accused of the same thing in your state.”

Describing his stance as affirmative evidence that he is a rubber stamp of the presidency and biased umpire, Ohaneze Ndigbo said Senator Lawan deserved to be impeached without further delay. Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, Ohaneze Ndigbo's general secretary, said the senate president had clearly shown that he lacked the morality to continue to preside over the National Assembly.

Mazi Isiguzoro added: “Ahmed Lawan’s inflammatory comments on restructuring has bestowed on him the award of most unpopular and rubber stamp president in the history of the senate, who stood against collective liberties and yearnings of Nigerians to re-address the faulty system and structural imbalance of the country. Lawan and co-travellers were caught unawares by the call for change of status quo which the north had benefited from and short-changed people of the south.

“The call for restructuring and a ban on open grazing were bitter pills for the north to swallow. Opposition against the southern governors' resolutions reinforced our belief and suspicions that the north like the manner they destroyed the reports of 2014 Constitutional conference, will leave no stone unturned to frustrate the move to restructure Nigeria, for sinister economic reasons, unhealthy dominance and parochial policies against the south.

“Senator Ahmed Lawan has squandered the goodwill of Nigerians and ought to relinquish his position as president of the senate by resigning honourably, having made nepotistic comments capable of creating disaffection among Nigerians. Since he hasn’t shown remorse over his comments, the senate should save itself from a moral standpoint by getting rid of inept and rubber stamp leadership.

"It should replace Senator Lawan with a vibrant personality to revamp the independence of the Senate and stop it from being an appendage of the presidency.”