PDP plots five rebel govs’ impeachment

The Peoples Democratic Party is plotting to influence state lawmakers to impeach five governors who defected to the opposition All Progressives Congress last week.

Investigations in Abuja on Friday showed that the ruling party would soon set up committees to lobby members of the houses of assembly to impeach the governors.

The governors who defected are Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State; Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano; AbdulFatah Ahmed of Kwara; Murtala Nyako of Adamawa and Aliyu Wamako of Sokoto State.

However, Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu, and his Jigawa State counterpart, Sule Lamido, who are also among the PDP rebel governors, said that they had not left the ruling party.

Nevertheless, the two governors have remained vocal about their displeasure with the state of the PDP.
It was learnt that the committee in each of the states would work out modalities to get members of the houses of assembly loyal to the PDP to move against the five governors. It was also gathered that the impeachment plot, which members of the National Working Committee, had been considering since the governors joined the APC on Tuesday, would be formally adopted at the committee’s emergency
meeting on Monday.

In addition to lobbying for the removal of the governors, the committees are also to be tasked with the responsibilities of ensuring that the PDP members in the state houses of assembly remain in the party.
Then again, a senior party official who spoke on the condition of anonymity told our correspondent that the party had not completely shut its door against the governors who defected. It was learnt that President Goodluck Jonathan, at today’s (Sunday) meeting with the rebel governors’, would appeal to those who had defected to the APC to change their minds. But the source added that the impeachment plan
would be set in motion if the President’s appeal was not heeded.

The source said, “This plan is going to form part of the deliberations during the emergency meeting of the party’s National Working Committee on Monday.

“The plan is to set up a committee made up of trusted members of the party in the affected states to identify loyal party members in the houses of assembly to maintain the party’s hold. These governors cannot have their cake and eat it.

“If we are able to get the majority of the lawmakers in any of the states to support us, the house of assembly in such a state will commence impeachment proceedings against the state governor.” Read more