Parliament threatens to impeach Nigerian leader
February 14, 2002 Posted: 9:39 PM EST (0239 GMT)

Obasanjo has been at odds with the parliament several times during his administration.

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ABUJA, Nigeria (Reuters) -- Nigeria's parliament launched a broad attack on President Olusegun Obasanjo's government on Thursday, accusing it of incompetence, misuse of public funds and impeachable violations of the constitution.

Obasanjo has ridden out storms with the legislature in the past but some lawmakers said the process could eventually lead to him facing impeachment proceedings.

The lower chamber, the House of Representatives, passed a resolution condemning his government for "ineptitude, insensitivity and non-transparent activities." It resolved to begin immediate investigations.

After the session, lawmakers said that if those investigations unearthed wrongdoing and the process was followed to its logical conclusion, Obasanjo could face impeachment. That would require the support of the upper house, the Senate.

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House speaker Ghali Umar Na'Abba, a member of Obasanjo's ruling party but a strong critic of the president, read out the resolution. Last month he said Obasanjo had committed more than 100 impeachable offenses since taking office in 1999.

During more than two hours of debate in the capital Abuja, legislators took turns to slam Obasanjo's management of the economy and handling of mounting ethnic and religious conflicts since his election ended 15 years of military rule.

"The country is in disarray," one member, Ahmed Lawan, told the house. "There is armed banditry, ethnic violence, disregard for the appropriation act by the executive arm," he said. "And the situation is getting worse by the day."

Another member, Ehiogie West-Idahosa, said thousands of Nigerians had lost their lives in conflicts since Obasanjo came to power "when we are not even fighting a civil war."

But a handful of lawmakers, while backing the resolution, said parliament should also accept some responsibility for the state of the nation.

The house resolved to examine within two weeks a report on the federal executive's record on meeting its responsibilities as prescribed by the constitution and, within 30 days, a report on the government's use of state funds since June 1999.

The motion is the latest in a feud between the lower house and Obasanjo, who ordered parliamentarians on Monday to disclose how much they earn.

Nigeria, which was already struggling with its worst cycle of violence since the 1960s civil war over breakaway Biafra, has been reeling from a string of disasters and killings since December, including the assassination of its justice minister.

A January 27 ammunition dump explosion caused 1,000 deaths in the commercial capital Lagos and ethnic riots in the city killed at least 100 a week later.

Copyright 2002 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Nnoo. Ebee ka ijere na izu a gara aga? Anyway, welcome back. I zutakwara anyi opapa(groundnut/peanut)?