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LETTER
TO THE SENATE BY ATIKU
11th
September, 2006
His Excellency
Distinguished Senate
President,
The Senate Chambers,
National Assembly
Complex,
Abuja ,
Your Excellency Sir,
IT IS NOT ATIKU
ABUBAKAR BUT NIGERIA ’S DEMOCRACY THAT IS ON TRIAL - CHECK THE
EXCESS OF PRESIDENT OLUSEGUN OBASANJO NOW!
Dear Distinguished Senators, we bring you fraternal greetings from
the rest of Turaki Vanguard Members Worldwide. This is the second
time we are constrained to write this great body on matters of
urgent importance involving our nation. The first was during the
struggle to manipulate the polity to actualize the now rested
infamous third term agenda of President Olusegun Obasanjo, which
this great body not only obliged us but through its wise and
courageous step saved our country’s ailing democracy from imminent
collapse as envisaged by fake "messiahs" currently at the helm of
affairs in the country.
Today, it
has become imperative once again that we should write this famous
and great organ of our government on another evil attempt to derail
our hard-earned democracy by the unrelenting persecution and
humiliation of those who stood against the evil that the 3rd
term agenda represented.
The
description of our dear country in a publication, which widely
circulated recently in the United States, and internationally as a
failed state is gradually holding waters and the recent observation
of the current happenings by one of our of great sons and Nobel
Laureate , Prof. Wole Sonyika that “ we are watching democracy
unravel before our eyes . Such is tragedy in the whole nation. It is
a tragic phase on the whole nation "but as patriotic and young men,
we don’t intend to allow those who the nation has been so good to,
to destroy our own tomorrow after benefiting so much from the
resources of the nation.
Even without
such reminder, we as Nigerians, considering what is happening in the
country’s body polity presently, must admit that the county is
rapidly drifting to the murky waters of political impasse if not
anarchy .The ominous signs are very glaring and overtly unraveling
themselves as the nation prepares for the 2007 general election.
From the way
and manner the President is riding roughshod over the ruling PDP and
the Federal Government, suggests that constitutional democracy has
eluded the country. There is continued assault by the Presidency on
the rule of law as evident from increasing disobedience to court
orders, the manner thousands of Nigerians are sacked on daily basis
from their places of work into the already over saturated labour
market; the treatment being meted to those that opposed the infamous
third term agenda of Mr. President; the circumstances that led to
the leveling of both Odi and Zakiam- Ibiam towns; the recent order
to get our youths in Niger Delta killed over hostage taking instead
of adopting dialogue or solving the monumental problems facing these
people; the manner key presidential aspirants are being humiliated,
hounded, intimidated by the agents of government; the illegal manner
funds are withdrawn from the federation account; the
unconstitutional and dictatorial manner the Bakassi town was traded
off without recourse to the National Assembly, the running of PDP in
a manner where regard and respect to rule of law and the
constitution of the party are not followed. These acts of terrorism
in governance was never what we bargained for when we stood against
Late General Sani Abacha to secure the democracy we are enjoying
now
The style
of governance of President Obasanjo is leaving Nigerians in a state
of political quagmire, total hopelessness, fear and insecurity,
confusion etc.
Distinguished Senators, must Nigeria be torn into shreds because Mr.
President’s move to foist himself on Nigerians for an incongruous
life Presidency was decisively thwarted? Must those who stood firm,
displaying patriotic zeal, bravado, against the devilish third term
bid of Mr. President be humiliated, hounded and have their rights
violated and trampled upon? Must the Constitution of Nigeria be
subverted simply because a desperate and vindictive President wants
to get back at those who spearheaded the political onslaught against
the tenure elongation plan? The posers could go on and on.
Dear
Distinguished Senators, without fear of contradiction, we make bold
to admit that corruption has eaten deep down into the fabrics of the
nation’s economy, which has both directly and indirectly left dirty
scars on Nigerians. However, we submit that no appreciable progress
will be made in the fight to eradicate the social anomaly, if it is
not sincerely done and when charges are fabricated and acted as a
drama as in the case of the Vice
President.
If the war
against corruption is targeted at a particular group or persons, it
should be condemned. More so, if it is occasioned by political
confrontations and difference in ideologies, supported by cocktail
of lies and conjectures, then it has lost its sincerity.
Dear
Distinguished Senators, what Nigerians are witnessing today in the
guise of fighting corruption in high places is an aftermath of the
aborted 3rd term elongation. Getting back at those who
fought against the 3rd term and moving to stop some
politicians especially, Vice President Atiku Abubakar from
contesting the 2007 Presidential election should be strongly
condemned and thwarted, especially when such a move is not done with
good intentions. Nigerians hold their mandates and should at all
times decide who will rule them. Be that as it may, going further to
forward a memo to the National Assembly on the purported findings of
EFCC/a Ministerial Administrative Panel goes to show that President
Obasanjo has no respect and regards both for our constitution, rule
of law and most importantly and very unfortunate has high jacked the
constitutional role of the Senate on several occasions including the
present case against an elected Vice President.
It is
disheartening and mind boggling to observe the gross impunity with,
which the National Assembly is being treated as a rubber stamp by
President Obasanjo. The Senate of the Federal Republic Of Nigeria
is a prestigious institution, a revered law making apparatus, the
protector of the right of Nigerians particular, the down trodden as
in the case of the Vice President Atiku Abubakar etc, and therefore
should not allow itself to be accorded such shabby treatment.
In accordance
with constitutional provision, the Senate is the only organ with the
right to cause impeachment proceedings against persons occupying the
post of the President and the Vice President.
Distinguished Senators, it is our passionate plea that the NASS will
condemn the present action of the President with the strongest terms
as it was borne out of mischief and wickedness, and also the usage
of the EFCC and SSS as terrorist cells against perceived political
foes
That the
President has become the investigator, the adjudicator and the one
prescribing punishment to be handed over to an elected Vice
president goes to show a mischievous action and vindictive act of a
morally corrupt President
The Vice
President must not be subjected to interrogation and intimidation
given the weight of his office and therefore the composition of an
unconstitutional and predetermined administrative panel by President
Obasanjo with the power to indict the Vice President to us was an
exercise in futility and a high display of dictatorial tendencies of
Mr. President in an assumed democratic
setting.
As custodian
of the peoples’ mandate and the soul of the Nigerian people as well
as an institution entrusted with the patriotic duty of watching over
the autocratic tendencies of the Executive arm as exemplified by Mr.
President, we are reminding the NASS that it has exclusive right to
address what ever level of detail sent to it if it so wishes.
Dear
Senators, setting up a kangaroo panel- with the power to indict a
sitting Vice President that is covered by immunity-made up of
President Obasanjo’s appointees and foot-soldiers amounts to ultra-vires
use of power and should be abhorred for posterity
sake.
With the
memo sent in by Mr. President before this Honorable Senators, we
make bold to state that the anti-corruption war of Mr. President is
not anchored on sincere and justifiable grounds, if not, why should
the senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria be informed that the
country’s number two citizen has been indicted by an
unconstitutional Federal Government Panel, when it should be the
organ to initiate such move and detailing to the Presidency? And if
Mr. President is truly serious about fighting corruption he should
then submit himself for probe because every thing about him speaks
of corruption –We know his financial status by 1998 and his present
financial worth. He acts as the Minister in - charge of PETROLUEM
Ministry where corruption is the order of the day. Let him allow the
noised EFCC to probe the activities of TRANSCORP that wants to buy
over all Nigeria .
Section 143
of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which deals
with the removal of the President or the Vice President, does not
empower either the President or the Vice President to initiate
impeachment move against one another. Impeachment is in the domain
of this highly respected institution and only the NASS has the
competence to initiate it and to indict the President or the
President.
Therefore,
putting the afore-stated aphorism into consideration, the Vice
President cannot be subjected to any form of trial in any court or
any other set up not to talk of the worthless and the evil intended
Government panel composed to achieve a targeted goal of smearing the
person and office of the Vice President of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria.
Agreed, the
President can cause anybody to be investigated, but no organ or part
of Government has neither the right nor power under whatever name to
try the Vice President.
We therefore,
humbly pray the Senate to posit that issues relating to political
feud between the President and the Vice President are carried out in
accordance with the law; nobody should be allowed to disrespect the
NASS and make his own laws or setup panel to try a seating Vice
President by any disguise or to stampede the NASS into any act of
illegality.
Our happiness
is that this great organ of governance is made up of great and
patriotic Nigerians, seasoned administrators, highly respected elder
statesmen, God fearing politicians that need not be told the evil
motive of Mr. President against an innocent man who once saved his
life and intervened on his behalf when this great body was about
impeaching him. We all are witnesses of the contributions Atiku
Abubakar has made towards the growth and sustenance of the
democratic norms and principles in our country. A person because of
his democratic credentials and defense of our statutory laws has
become the most endangered Vice President ever elected in the
history of modern politics. A single man whose persecution in the
hands of people he has assisted politically is unprecedented.
Today,
Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who represents the resilience and
stand as the embodiment of the struggle against anti democratic
elements and actions in Nigeria is on daily basis threatened,
humiliated, persecuted, and vilified in the name of power -
politicking. it is either that his house in USA has been raided by
the FBI or the SSS in Nigeria has in a commando style invaded his
house in Victoria Island in Lagos or that the EFFC has raided
Bank PHB in order to get his bank statements and transactions or a
phantom coup plot is weaved around him so that he can be humiliated
out of office disgracefully or his Think-Tank office is raided in
search of imaginary terrorists or his business (INTELS) are closed
down or mobs are organised to molest him at Lagos
Distinguished
Senators, it is therefore based on the above posits that we feel
that the Vice President is being persecuted unjustly for his
support against anti democratic moves of President Olusegun
ObasanjoI that we pray this great institution should come to the aid
of an innocent man who has stood all these years on the side of
democrats and people of Nigeria and has defended our nascent
democracy with every thing in him by not only destroying the
worthless and malicious and evil intended letter of the President
but to erase such a letter from your respected records for posterity
sake considering the fact that the main aim of the President is not
impeachment per se as it was not contained in his memo to this
august body but to use the Senate to put an official seal to his
dream of stopping Atiku Abubakar from the 2007 election. This
request becomes imperative considering the nature and character of
our President if given one kilometer he takes over three kilometers.
If he succeeds in destroying our current embodiment of democracy (Atiku),
he will turn his bearing to any of you in his desire to destroy all
our Leaders before he finally bows out in retaliation to his
unrealistic life Presidency.
Atiku Abubakar
as an adherent believer in the rule of law has gone to court to
challenge once again this breach of our constitution in his
continuous contributions to the enrichment of our constitutional
culture but will our all knowing President allow for once allow the
rule of law to prevail. We are
watching
Considering
the tension in the country predicated by the acts and actions of a
single person- who has arrogated himself the power to make or mar
any politician in the country –the need to call him to order becomes
highly imperative to save this country from disintegration and the
time to act is now before it is late.
Wishing you all
and Nigerians a successful and peaceful 2007 general polls
ALH. NASIR A.
B. GALLA CHIEF EZE CHUKWUEMEKA EZE.
NATIONAL COORDINATOR
NATIONAL DIRECTOR, MEDIA AFFAIRS
& PUBLIC COMMUNICATION |
