Bill to impeach the president after 30 days without cabinet, passes second reading

A bill seeking to impeach a President after 30 days without a cabinet has passed its second reading in the House of Representatives. 

The bill which gives the President a 30-day time frame to pick his cabinet, scaled its first reading in December 2020 and is being sponsored by Kpam Sokpo, a lawmaker from Benue state. 

Section 19(1) of the proposed bill stipulates that “the president shall on assumption of office, appoint ministers within 30 days from the date he took the oath of office.”

Section 19(2) of the bill provides that “the president shall constitute and appoint all boards of government agencies and parastatal that are due for constitution and appointment within two months from the date of his assumption of office.”

Section 19(3) says the president “shall be guilty of a misconduct as provided under section 143 (2) (b) of the Constitution” if he fails to comply with the provisions of the proposed bill. That section specifically states how the president can be impeached when he is guilty of “gross misconduct in the performance of the functions of his office.” 

According to Kpam, “This bill seeks to provide for the procedure and ceremony for transition and assumption of the office of the president, and vice-president-elect by the president-elect and vice-president-elect, and to facilitate the handover process by the outgoing president and vice-president of the federal republic of Nigeria.”