Comrade Timi Frank, a former deputy national publicity secretary for the All Progressives Congress (APC), has urged the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to remove President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as its chairman due to the legitimacy crisis of his government.
Frank, who made this appeal in a statement in Abuja, claimed that the president lost legitimacy after it was discovered that he had submitted a falsified diploma from Chicago State University (CSU) to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in order to run for president in 2023.
ECOWAS member state presidents from the past and present were also urged by him to persuade the sub-regional body to act honorably by appointing a new chairman in an acting capacity, pending confirmation at the following Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS.
He warned that delaying action would leave the regional body in a regretful state where all decisions made during Tinubu’s administration would be disregarded and rendered invalid.
He urged the military junta leaders in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, and the Niger Republic to refrain from engaging in any negotiations or dealings with the Tinubu-led ECOWAS until the President is removed from his position as its chairman.
He partly said, “If ECOWAS must remain relevant and retain its credibility and respect among member states, especially in dealing with the military junta now spreading fast like a pandemic across the sub-region, it must act fast to protect its integrity.”
He insisted that the Tinubu administration bribes the media with generous appointments and paid advertisements, as recently confirmed by ex-governor Nyesom Wike, the minister of the FCT, while also persecuting them on the one hand with the recent NBC’s last warning letter to ARISE Television.
He urged the National Assembly to start impeachment procedures against Tinubu immediately for serious constitutional crimes in order to safeguard the country’s constitution, democracy, and rule of law.
He stressed that the National Assembly cannot afford to remain silent while Tinubu’s criminal actions and constitutional violations cause the country to fall apart, as detailed in the sworn evidence by the CSU authorities.
According to him, he said, “A breach of the Constitution by a sitting president is an impeachable offense. We are calling on the National Assembly, the Senate, and the House of Representatives to wake up and defend the Constitution. This is the time for them to uphold the law and constitution of the land. This is the time they must display patriotism irrespective of party affiliation by urgently commencing impeachment proceedings against the President.”
Continuing further, he said, “This is not all about party membership. It’s all about sustaining our democracy and ensuring peace, security, and the development of the country. Nigerians expect them to exercise their constitutional powers to do the right thing if they are truly the elected representatives of the people. Otherwise, Tinubu’s stay in office will continue to bring national disgrace and embarrassment to Nigerians both home and abroad and equally chase away foreign investors from doing business in Nigeria because no foreign investor will come to Nigeria to invest while it remains under a President tainted with illegitimacy.“
He also argued that because of the President’s certificate fabrication scandal, it is now challenging for Nigerians living overseas to find work since their credentials are now closely examined to make sure they are authentic and unwanted. Global shame and attention have befallen Nigerians across the world.
Frank, a political activist, urged the Supreme Court of Nigeria to handle the presidential election petition appeal before it in the national interest and with a fear of God to protect the democracy of the country.
He also called on the CJN to, without fear, dish out the right call and to uphold the rule of law. He said he was a lawbreaker, and in this case, Bola Tinubu should not be retained as the President of Nigeria. “We now have a clear case of breach of the Constitution by a President who submitted a forged certificate to INEC, contrary to Section 137(1)(j) of the Constitution, which stipulates that: ‘A person shall not be qualified for election to the office of President if he has presented a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
He said, “We believe that the Supreme Court must not be biased and must do everything to protect our democracy. The world is watching to see if they will uphold the principles of true justice in the manner in which they will handle this case of perjury or lying under oath by Tinubu.”
We expect the CJN and other Supreme Court Justices to courageously uphold the constitution by ensuring that a confirmed lawbreaker is not retained as the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.”