South South states was to present the motion. But I told them they would never succeed. I waited for the day they would bring the motion, but they didn’t up to the day we proceeded on our annual recess.
“Their aim was for Buhari to be removed as president,” the lawmaker said.
Another lawmaker also confirmed there was such a move. He said: “Yes, there was that move, even though I don’t have the full details, but I heard there was such move.
“In fact, I first heard it from some of my aides, but because the issue wasn’t that popular, it didn’t even come to the floor of the House. I think it was the leadership that stopped the movers from the very beginning.”
Minority Leader, Leo Ogor, could not be reached for reaction as his mobile phone was shut down at the time of filing this report. A text message sent to him was not responded to.
When contacted last night, House spokesman, Abdulrazak Namdas (APC, Adamawa), said he was not aware of the matter.
But a member from Katsina State, Ahmed Babba Kaita, confirmed that there was such move but that it could not have succeeded.
“Some of us were aware that some members wanted to bring a motion on the president’s health. But no motion anyone will bring on Buhari that will succeed,” Kaita said.
What the constitution says
Section 144 (1) of the 1999 Constitution provides that the president or vice-president shall cease to hold office, if “(a) by a resolution passed by two-thirds majority of all the members of the Executive Council of the Federation it is declared that the President or Vice-President is incapable of discharging the functions of his office; and (b) the declaration is verified, after such a medical examination as may be necessary, by a medical panel established under subsection (4) of this section in its report to the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives.”
Section 144 subsection (2) states that “where the medical panel certifies in the report that in its opinion the President or Vice-President is suffering from such infirmity of body or mind as renders him permanently incapable of discharging the functions of his office, a notice thereof signed by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall be published in the Official Gazette of the Government of the Federation.”
