Reps consider bill to impeach president after 30 days without cabinet

The house of representatives is considering a bill seeking to impeach the president if he fails to name members of his cabinet within 30 days in office.

The ‘Transition and assumption of office’ bill introduced for first reading on Wednesday, was sponsored by Kpam Sokpo, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmaker from Benue state.

It seeks to add failure to set up the cabinet within the given time as an act of misconduct that could warrant the impeachment of the president as provided for in the 1999 constitution.

It is believed the proposed law was triggered by President Muhammadu Buhari’s usual delay in naming his cabinet.

It took the president more than four months after he was inaugurated as president in 2015 and about two months after he began his second term in 2019 to name his ministers.

The new bill states: “Subject to sections 147 and 302 of the Constitution, the President shall on assumption of office, appoint Ministers within 30 days from the date he took the oath of office.

“The President shall constitute and appoint all Boards of Government agencies and parastatals that are due for constitution and appointment within two months from the date of his assumption of office.”

It added that “where the President fails to comply with the provisions of this section without any justifiable reason, he shall be guilty of a misconduct as provided under section 143(2) (b) of the Constitution.”