US embassy cable - 03ABUJA1557

UNCLAS ABUJA 001557 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, KDEM, PINR, NI 
SUBJECT: DISGRUNTLEMENT IN THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY 
 
REF: ABUJA 1515 
 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED, NOT FOR PUBLICATION ON THE 
INTRANET OR INTERNET. 
 
 
1. (SBU) Growing National Assembly discontent over recent 
moves by President Obasanjo led to a quickly suppressed and 
publicly denied, August 21 attempt to impeach House Speaker 
Aminu Bello Masari.  Obasanjo had installed Masari and the 
Senate President, then forced his own selections for 
committee positions through the new Assembly leadership and 
vetoed potential staff for the Senators and Representatives. 
The GON also changed from providing Members with housing and 
vehicles to giving them allowances instead -- which will be a 
pain for them given the artificially high Abuja cost of 
living -- and then took away customary police bodyguards from 
all members except the Senate President, Speaker of the House 
and their deputies (reftel). 
 
 
2. (SBU) All Members from the PDP, just under a 
three-quarters majority in both House and Senate, owe their 
seats to the party, and most to some degree to the President. 
 About two-thirds of the Representatives are new this 
session; most coming from the same party, the ruling PDP, as 
those they replaced.  The major turnover served to remind 
legislators how precarious their positions are and how much 
they depend on the President.  Heavily in debt financially 
from the campaign, many also owe various political godfathers 
and are defending against legal challenges to their elections. 
 
 
3. (SBU) Comment:  Obasanjo blamed many of his troubles in 
his first civilian term on a recalcitrant Assembly that 
attempted to impeach him, and may be taking steps to show the 
new Assembly who is the boss.  They are in turn are irritated 
with the chains they willingly used to bind themselves to the 
President through the PDP in this election.  It remains to be 
seen whether they will begin to form alliances with each 
other, as many state governors have, or fall grousingly in 
line under the President. 
MEECE