Attack on Atiku Constitutional blackmail -AC
The Action Congress (AC) has described the declaration of Vice-President Atiku Abubakar's office vacant as an attack on the constitution.
The presidency had recently reacted to the decision of Abubakar to contest the 2007 presidential polls on the platform of AC, saying that, it amounted to his vacation of the office.
The AC National Legal Adviser, Dr Ego-Queen Ezuma, told a news conference in Abuja on Friday that the action of the Presidency violated the provisions of Sections 142, 143, 144 and 146 of the constitution.
``The unilateral declaration of the President, his agents and party is another constitutional blackmail intended to cause a political torpedo to derail our nascent democracy," she said.
But, Malam Uba Sani, a presidential aide in charge of public affairs had defended the action of the presidency ,citing relevant sections of the constitution.
He said the constitution provided that the president and the vice-president must belong to the same party and since Atiku had defected to another party, he had breached the constitution and should vacate the office.
Section 143 gives the processes for the removal of the President and the Vice-President from office.
``Whenever a notice of any allegation in writing signed by not less than one-third of the members of the National Assembly is presented to the President of he Senate, stating that the holder of the office is guilty of gross misconduct in the performance of the functions of his office," it stated.
The provision, which grants the accused the right to fair hearing, explained that, ``gross misconduct means a grave violation of the provisions of this constitution or a misconduct of such nature as amounts in the opinion of the National Assembly to gross misconduct."
Section 144 says that the two top citizens may also be removed by a resolution of the Federal Executive Council in the event of ill health.
According to Ezuma, the action of the presidency amounts to planning to cause confusion and violence that can prevent the conduct of successful election in 2007.
She cited the recent political tension in Anambra, Ekiti, Oyo and Plateau as part of such confusion.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that, both the presidency and Abubakar have filed papers at the Court of Appeal to seek legal direction.