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Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has said it is nearly impossible to impeach a Nigerian president under the current system.
According to Dogara, Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution creates serious barriers to removing a sitting president, no matter the circumstances.
The former Speaker spoke at a gathering of lawmakers advocating for a shift to a parliamentary system. This group, made up of around 60 lawmakers, introduced a bill proposing to replace the office of the president with a new role—a prime minister who would serve as the head of government.
Dogara, who is also a lawyer, said that the process for impeachment outlined in the Constitution is too complex and unrealistic.
He said, “In Nigeria, Section 143 doesn’t offer any practical framework for impeachment. At the end of the day, all the National Assembly’s efforts are handed over to a panel of politicians they call people of impeccable character.
“I don’t know where we can find these ‘angels.’ Their determination is final and cannot be challenged by the National Assembly or any court in Nigeria. And these seven people of ‘impeccable character’ are appointed by the CJN, who is appointed by the president—so how can this system work in reality?”
The dialogue also featured Rauf Aregbesola, a former governor and minister, who warned that Nigeria is in deep trouble. He spoke of the deteriorating conditions in Nigeria, pointing to worsening economic, political, and social situations that, he said, could lead to public unrest.
Aregbesola believes that the current system, which places power in the hands of a single person, cannot effectively serve a country as large and complex as Nigeria.
He said, “Whatever does not give appropriate opportunity or rights to the people will be resisted, no matter what you do. If other things fail, people can revolt. If we are conscious of all this and understand the consequences of things getting out of hand, we would be interested in finding the best ways to govern ourselves.”