A clandestine plot to impeach the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas is reportedly in motion, it was learnt on Monday.
Sources exclusively revealed that the secret plan is believed to be backed by powerful political figures, and could shake the National Assembly if successful.
According to highly placed insiders, a wealthy member of the House of Representatives from the North, along with an opposition governor from the southern region, are spearheading this move.
Both political heavyweights are said to be funding the operation, which is being coordinated by a prominent member of the opposition party within the House.
The opposition Rep, who is said to be the main strategist of the plot, is reportedly operating under the guise of a faction called the “Integrity Group.”
It was gathered that this group has been gathering momentum, with sources confirming that 60 lawmakers have allegedly signed on to the impeachment move.
These lawmakers, portraying themselves as defenders of the masses, are said to be aggrieved over what they described as Speaker Abbas’ “collusion with the executive branch” to dominate the legislative arm.
“The Integrity Group believes that the Speaker has aligned too closely with the executive, to the detriment of the House’s independence. They feel that Abbas is acting as an extension of the Presidency rather than an autonomous leader of the legislative arm.
“They are frustrated that Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and Senate President Godswill Akpabio are undermining the National Assembly’s efforts to investigate the Executive over the poor implementation of the 2024 budget, which they claim has achieved less than 30 percent performance. According to them, this failure is a key reason why Nigerians are facing hardships today”, a source said.
However, the plot may not be purely about institutional autonomy. Another source disclosed that beyond internal discontent in the House, a powerful cabal within the Presidential Villa is allegedly backing the impeachment move.
A source in the Presidency disclosed the powerful figure in the Villa is supporting Abbas’s impeachment plot because the said cabal is at loggerheads with the President’s Chief of Staff, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, who was instrumental in securing Abbas’ election as Speaker.
“There’s no doubt that this is not just about legislative independence. There’s a personal element involved as well, particularly when you consider the strained ties between this powerful figure in the Villa and Gbajabiamila”, the source added.
The northern billionaire funding the project is believed to be using his deep connections within the House to consolidate support.
Meanwhile, the southern governor involved is said to be driven by the survival battles he is engaged in with his estranged political godfather and he (the governor) to strengthen the opposition’s influence in the House, removing a particular principal officer and leveraging this impeachment move as a way to gain leverage in national politics.
The situation remains fluid, but the growing list of lawmakers reportedly backing the impeachment signals that the matter may soon escalate into a full-blown political crisis.
Political observers suggest that, if the plot gains further traction, Abbas’ leadership may come under serious threat.
A key challenge for the plotters will be whether they can muster enough signatures to bring the impeachment to the floor for a formal vote.
As of now, the 60 alleged signatures fall short of the majority needed to successfully remove the Speaker, but the pace at which the dissent is growing has raised concerns among pro-Abbas lawmakers.
For now, Speaker Abbas has maintained a public silence on the matter. But with growing murmurs of discontent both inside the House and beyond, it seems only a matter of time before this political struggle explodes into the public eye.
It will be recalled that rumours circulated last week about a potential plot to impeach Senate President Godswill Akpabio by some allegedly aggrieved senators.
However, the Senate quickly dismissued the report as fake news, and the senators subsequently passed a vote of confidence in Akpabio.
