Senate President faces impeachment threat as National Assembly resumes today

Senate President Bukola Saraki will finally face the threats of his removal when lawmakers resume to the National Assembly on Tuesday, October 9, 2018.

The National Assembly had hurriedly embarked on a legislative recess during its July 24 plenary amid a controversial clampdown on its leadership with security operatives laying siege on Saraki's residence as well as that of Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.

Shortly after the recess, Saraki dumped the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the People's Democratic Party (PDP) as he accused the party of witch-hunting him for undemocratic reasons.

His defection has triggered unrelenting calls from the ruling party, with its slight majority in the Senate, for Saraki to resign his position or face impeachment.

During the recess, the party repeatedly called for the leader of the National Assembly to reconvene lawmakers to approve the budget for the 2019 general elections that had been sent by President Muhammadu Buhari in July. Many people believed this was a ploy to carry out Saraki's impeachment.

APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, has repeatedly boasted in public that Saraki will be removed as Senate President in a democratic manner if he does not hounourably step down.

Even though the National Assemby was initially scheduled to resume on September 25, it was postponed for a further two weeks due to the primary elections that were being conducted by political parties.

With the elections done, the Senate President will now face his opposition at plenary for the first time since the threat for him to step down or be impeached was made.

This is coming just days after he lost the presidential ticket of the PDP to former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, leaving his future in the Senate past 2019 uncertain.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, might also face some impeachment threat of his own after he also more recently dumped the APC for the PDP.

Read about all the things expected to happen at today's plenary here.