ICYMI: ‘Governance has failed’ — Soyinka speaks on lawmakers’ threat to impeach Buhari

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.