Insecurity: Lawan pleads with senators amid threat to impeach Buhari

Senate president Ahmad Lawan found himself walking a tightrope at the plenary on Tuesday after he declined to entertain open discussion on the perennial insecurity in the country.

For months on end, Nigerians have been at the mercy of non state actors who have engaged in massive kidnapping, killings and wanton destruction of property by terrorists across the country.

At the commencement of plenary, senators questioned why the issue of insecurity was not in the Order Paper.

With the President of the Senate not ready to recognise any point of order on the matter, senators became agitated and told Lawan that no issue would be deliberated on at the hallowed chamber outside insecurity, vanguard reports.

Senators were not happy when they resumed plenary over the silence on terrorists’ threat to go after President Muhammadu Buhari; Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai; and senators.

With pressure mounted on Lawan that the matter must be discussed, sources said he became restless as he was said to have asked the senators to put aside sentiments in order not to overheat the polity.

The senators raised the alarm with the death of a captain and two soldiers, killed by terrorists on Sunday night in Bwari area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT); closure of Federal Government Colleges; attack on the convoy of President Buhari; and attack on Kuje Prison, among other atrocities, by the terrorists across the country.

Displeased with the development, sources told Vanguard that senators threatened Lawan that they would initiate impeachment move against President Buhari, thereby forcing him to agree that the issue of insecurity be discussed in the open today at plenary and not at a closed session.

“We were not happy that the issue of insecurity did not come up today (yesterday) for discussion and with this, we shouted out to the President of the Senate that it must be discussed and when he refused, we threatened that we will begin impeachment move against President Buhari because the country is not safe.

”This forced Lawan to succumb, assuring that the matter will come up for discussion tomorrow (today) in the open and not at closed door session.” Vanguard quoted sources as saying.