Plot against Jonathan, a joke —PDP Reps

President Goodluck Jonathan

Members of the Peoples Democratic Party in the House of Representatives have described the ongoing move to impeach Jonathan as a joke, warning that it will be an exercise in futility.

Members of the PDP caucus stated that no member of the ruling party would be a party to the process.

In separate interviews with our correspondents, the PDP lawmakers insisted that Jonathan had not committed any impeachable offence since he became President.

On Thursday, about 113 members of the House, said to be members of the All Progressives Congress, signed to remove Jonathan.

The sponsors of the plot were said to have wanted to table a motion for Jonathan’s impeachment on Thursday, using the opportunity of the reconvening of the House, which reportedly led to the massive deployment of security forces in the National Assembly and prevention of lawmakers from gaining entry.

Speaking to SUNDAY PUNCH, the lawmaker representing Esan North-East and Esan South-East in the House of Representatives under the PDP, Friday Itulah, described the impeachment move against Jonathan as a journey in futility.

Itulah said the priority of members of the PDP in the House was to work towards the re-election of the President.

The lawmaker, who is also seeking a return to the green chamber, argued that Jonathan’s performance stood him out above his predecessors since 1999.

Itulah noted, “If anybody is doing that, he or she is completely on his or her own. President Jonathan needs re-election and not impeachment. It would be better a person never attempts such a thing at all (impeachment) because it is a total waste of efforts and will not take the person anywhere.

“I am aware of his (Jonathan’s) track records, and to the best of my knowledge, no president has performed this much since the return of democracy. Nobody should give any serious thought to such plan by anybody.”

The lawmaker also debunked the speculation that PDP lawmakers in the National Assembly, who were aspiring to return to their seats, were drumming support for the President in order to increase their chances of getting the party’s tickets.

He described the purported impeachment plan as an “impossible” diversion, which had nothing to do with the political aspirations of PDP lawmakers.

“It is purely diversionary; it is not a question of anybody being scared of not being involved in anything like that.”

Itulah, however, vowed that the PDP membership of the House would resist the plot.

“I can tell you authoritatively that no member of the PDP, and even those who are not part of the majority party, is part of any such process, if it does exist in every sense of the word. I can assure you that such a thing will not even be tabled on the floor of the House. We will ensure that it is not tabled; I don’t have to disclose our strategy,” he said.

In his submission, Albert Akintoye, who is representing Irele/Okitipupa Federal Constituency of Ondo State at the House, added that Jonathan had to be examined to show whether he had committed an offence worthy of impeachment.

“I am a PDP man to the core and I think the President has not done anything at the moment to warrant an impeachment,” he said.

Also, the member representing Sagbama/Ekeremor, Bayelsa State, in the House, Stella Dorgu, described the move to impeach Jonathan as a huge joke.

Dorgu stated that no member of the PDP would be a part of such move.

Describing the move as unfortunate, the PDP lawmaker opined that the House was misdirected, noting that at the end of the day, the House would not be able to carry out the threat.

She said, “I see it as a threat. Definitely, no PDP member will be a party to such a move. What will be the reason? What has the President done, except to make sure that he puts this country on the right trajectory to be the leader of Africa that everybody wants Nigeria to be.

“I think they are misdirected and they will not be able to go through with it if there is such move at all.

“The reason for my position is because of the future of Nigeria. I believe that Goodluck Jonathan has been one of the best, if not the best President that we have had since this democracy in 1999.”

Similarly, another member of the House from Ogun State, Adewusi Razak, said President Goodluck Jonathan, had not committed any impeachable offence to warrant any call for his impeachment.

According to him, as far as PDP members in the House are concerned, those raising dust that the President be impeached are members of the APC.

He posited that such plans would not materialise, as the sponsors had yet to raise the impeachment motion on the floor of the House.

Razak said, “If you read the newspapers, it is the opposition that is talking about impeachment. It remains to be seen how they want to achieve that. How will 123 or 130 members move against 240? It is not possible.

“Moreover, the President has not done anything to warrant impeachment.”

Also, another member representing Umunneochi /Isuikwuato Federal Constituency at the House, Nkiruka Onyejiocha, told SUNDAY PUNCH the PDP caucus in the chamber would resist sponsorship of Jonathan’s impeachment.

Onyejiocha, who described the impeachment plot as laughable, said it would not scale through, as Jonathan had not committed any impeachable offence.

She also hinted that the PDP caucus at the House had perfected plans to ensure the opposition did not succeed in derailing Nigeria’s young democracy.

Copyright PUNCH.