Wole Soyinka, Nobel laureate, says the threat by lawmakers
to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari over rising insecurity points to the
failure of the present administration.
He said this on Tuesday at an event held in Abeokuta, the
Ogun capital, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Abeokuta Club.
In July, lawmakers on the platform of the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) had given the president six weeks to address insecurity or face
impeachment proceedings.
Adamu Bulkachuwa, senator representing Bauchi north on the
All Progressives Congress (APC) platform, had also said majority of the
senators — including APC members — supported the motion to serve Buhari with an
impeachment notice.
Speaking on the theme: ‘Good Governance or Misgovernance:
The Contract Called Democracy’, Soyinka said misgovernance is grounds for
impeachment.
“Democracy indicates a contract, that’s why there are
elections; that’s why the candidates put out manifestos, and it’s on the basis
of that manifesto that they are either accepted or rejected,” he said.
“Very often, the grounds for a breach of contract, I think
we’ll all agree, is misgovernance, and one of the ways of breaking this kind of
contract, we know, even before the duration of the contract, is known as
impeachment.”
He also criticised Buhari over the latter’s comment in May
asking to choose who would succeed him as president.
Days before the APC presidential primary, amid speculations
over who would be elected as the party’s flagbearer, Buhari had asked governors
on the APC platform to allow him name a preferred candidate.
“Second term governors have been accorded the privilege of
promoting successors that are capable of driving their visions as well as the
ideals of the party,” he had said.
“As we approach the convention, I appeal to all of you to
allow our interests to converge, our focus to remain on the changing dynamics
of our environment, the expectations of our citizens and the global community.
“In keeping with the established internal policies of the
party and as we approach the convention in a few days, I wish to solicit the
reciprocity and support of the governors and other stakeholders in picking my
successor, who would fly the flag of our party.”
However, Buhari’s comment had generated varied reactions,
including criticism from some political stakeholders.
Speaking on the development, Soyinka said Buhari should
focus on finishing his tenure and allowing others “make amends”.
“I don’t understand why somebody should say ‘I’m choosing my
own successor’. As the people say, ‘who are you?’ You’ve done your own. Get off
the stage and leave other people to come in and make amends,” he said.
He also took a swipe at APC governors who reportedly backed
the move for Buhari to choose a successor.
“What these governors are telling us is that after a failure
has occupied the seat of government for eight years, that failure should give
us another failure for another eight years,” he added.
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