From Taiwo Amodu, Abuja and Romanus Ugwu, Abuja

CHIEF Tony Anenih has warned feder­al lawmakers elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) not to join the plot to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari. He described the moves to remove the president as “ill-advised adventure”.

The former Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the PDP, in a four-page letter dated July 15, 2016, and addressed to chairman of the party caretaker committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, called on the former Kaduna State governor and his team to ensure that the PDP caucus in the National As­sembly shunned the unsavoury plot to impeach President Buhari.

Although the federal lawmakers had since denied the impeachment plot, the former works minister said he was con­vinced that the time was neither right nor the reasons compelling enough to contemplate the impeachment of the president.

In the letter entitled: “The PDP Caucus in the National Assembly and the threat to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari,” Chief Anenih urged Senator Makarfi to personally lead the process of consultation with PDP members in the National Assem­bly, with a view to getting them to play a patriotic, rather than partisan role, at this time of national economic and social uncertainty.

He called on the lawmakers to ex­plore the option of consultations and dialogue, which he noted would douse unnecessary tension in the country.

The letter read in part:” I am con­strained to write this letter by my love for our great country and my long years of involvement in the pursuit of peace, co-existence and national development.

“I am concerned about the noises coming out of the National Assembly to the effect that some of our distinguished Senators and Honourable Members are contemplating a move to impeach the President.

“I feel even more disturbed that the PDP Caucus is being rumoured to be ac­tively involved in this plan to “go for the jugular” of the Executive. The rumoured role of the PDP Caucus is, indeed, the main reason I have chosen to write this letter to you.

“I wish to appeal to you to use your noble office as the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of our great party to dissuade our party members, in the National Assembly, from embarking on or participating in this ill-advised adventure. I am persuaded, Sir, that the time is neither right nor the reasons compelling enough to contemplate the impeachment of the President.

“I do not doubt that the National As­sembly may have its grouse against the President, but I am sure that the options of consultation, dialogue and negotia­tion have not yet been exhausted. We should all assist in persuading our members to persevere in the pursuit of these options.

“I do not believe an attempt at im­peachment, at this time, is in the best interests of the party, or the country. Such a move will create tension, insta­bility and even crisis in our body-politic. It will unleash all those fissiparous forces which, in the last few months, have begun to gain momentum.

“Fundamentally, as the main opposi­tion party, I believe the PDP should concern itself with an inward review of why Nigerians lost faith in us and in our party’s vision for Nigeria; our focus should therefore be on trying to figure out how we can once again regain this trust.

“As a party in opposition, what I expect is constructive criticism of the ruling party when it goes wrong. Play­ing an active role in the internal power struggles between factions of the ruling party is an unnecessary distraction, and an exercise that appears to promote per­sonal agenda rather than the National Interest.

“I am not unaware that the times are hard; that Nigerians are groaning under the weight of unpaid salaries and astronomical increases in the cost of living, that ballooning security problems are increasingly threatening to rip apart the fabric of our national existence, and that Nigerians feel more divided today than they have ever felt, but it would be unfair to blame this President or this Government for all of these problems. Instructively, none of these problems was floated as justification for the threat of impeachment by the National As­sembly.

“On the economy, it is a well known fact that all oil-producing countries are suffering from an economic down-turn because of the radical drop in the price of crude oil. As a mono-product econo­my, dependent on crude oil, there is no magic bubble that could have insulated us completely from the systemic shocks caused by the attendant loss of revenue.

“Rather than seek scapegoats, the situation demands that all our insti­tutions, political parties and leaders should set aside all partisan interests, and work together to wade through these difficult times.

“It is, therefore, my wish and prayer that you, personally, lead the process of consultation with our members in the National Assembly, with a view to get­ting them to play a patriotic, rather than partisan role, at this time of national economic and social uncertainty.

“May God continue to bless you with the wisdom to lead our party to its manifest destiny.”

Some members of the red chamber allegedly mooted the idea to impeach Buhari over the forgery charge against senate president, Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu.

They accused the president of at­tempting to force a leadership change in the Senate, an allegation the presidency refuted for the umpteenth time.

Meanwhile, Senator represent­ing Ondo North, Ajayi Borofice, and members of the senate factional group, Unity Forum, said they would continue to challenge the leadership of the two principal officers.