LAGOS, Aug 22 (AFP) - Fourteen legislators have backed out of a plan to
remove Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo from office over alleged
constitutional breaches, their spokesman said Thursday.
Some 14 lawmakers told reporters late Wednesday they were not part of the
impeachment motion taken last week by the House of Representatives.
The motion, which is sponsored by members of the Peoples Democratic Party,
gave Obasanjo two weeks to either resign or face impeachment proceedings for
alleged incompetence and abuse of power.
"We have since discovered that the main objective of the anti-Obasanjo
group ... is to scuttle this hard-earned democracy," said Jonathan Asake, a
spokesman for the 14 lawmakers.
He alleged the decision to try to remove the president from office was
hatched at "secret" meetings, and vowed that the 14 legislators will resist
the impeachment move.
"As patriotic Nigerians, we pledge our firm support for the president and
say the allegations are politically motivated, designed to undermine the
integrity of Obasanjo's presidency," he added.
The governors of Nigeria's 36 states have also condemned the move.
"We believe the timing is not good enough, to be talking of impeachment
when elections are a few months away," said Olusegun Osoba, governor of the
south-western state of Ogun.
The presidency and army have also decried the move, saying if it is not
properly handled, it could derail the country's three-and-a-half-year-old
democracy.
Nigeria returned to civilian rule in May 1999, when Obasanjo was sworn in,
ending over 15 years of military dictatorship.
The country, Africa's most populous, is due to hold general elections next
year and Obasanjo has declared his intention to seek re-election.
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