2006年VOA标准英语-Sacked Nigerian Vice President Seeks Judicial I

By Gilbert da Costa
Abuja
26 December 2006

A Nigerian court in Abuja is expected to hear Wednesday, a motion seeking to set aside the removal of the vice¹ president by President Olusegun Obasanjo. Gilbert da Costa in Abuja reports Nigeria - which is on the verge² of crucial elections - may be heading for a constitutional crisis.

 

venue3 of the Action Congress (AC) election in Lagos, 20 Dec. 2006" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070514/1409370.jpg" width="159" vspace="2" border="0" />

Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar at the venue of the Action Congress (AC) election in Lagos, 20 Dec. 2006

The embattled vice president is optimistic that the Nigerian judiciary will annul⁴ his removal by President Obasanjo.

 

The president announced Abubakar's removal shortly after the vice president was nominated to run in next year's presidential election, on the ticket of the newly formed Action Congress Party.

 

The Action Congress has reacted angrily to the president's declaration and party spokesman Lai Mohammed says the opposition⁵ will, as he put it, resist the vice president's dismissal.

He said, "We are going to court; first, to exercise our fundamental human rights [on the basis of our constitution]. And, we have written letters to the CJN [Chief Justice of Nigeria] and the national assembly."

"And, we are meeting today - the board of trustees of the party - to examine the way forward. But one thing I can assure you is that we are not letting up. And, we believe that this kind of lawlessness and unconstitutionalism must be resisted," he added.

 

Several of Nigeria's leading lawyers have expressed worry over the rather arbitrary nature of the president's action, which was taken without recourse to the courts or national assembly, which has constitutional power to impeach⁶ the vice president.

 

Abuja-based lawyer Maxi Okwu says the president's conduct could set a very bad precedent⁷, with grave consequences for the democratic process.

 

"My take on the legal position, as a lawyer of many years - the ways to remove a vice president or deputy governor or vice chairman of a local government, are very clearly stated. I therefore regard the dismissal or sacking of the vice president by the president as illegal and unconstitutional," he said.

"The danger is that, if it goes through, it will set a very bad example for Nigeria, because any day, any governor will wake up and sack his deputy and that could very dangerous for our democracy," he added.

 

Some analysts⁸ warn that - even if the vice president obtains a court order restoring him - the president may ignore the order, precipitating⁹ a possible constitutional crisis.

 

Abubakar had been Mr. Obasanjo's deputy since May 1999, but the two men fell out over an attempt by the president to seek a third term in office. Political tensions are rising ahead of crucial elections in April.

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

2 verge   

n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。

3 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。

4 annul   

v.宣告…无效，取消，废止

参考例句：

• They have the power to alter or annul inappropriate decisions of their own standing committees.他们有权改变或者撤销本级人民代表大会常务委员会不适当的决定。
• The courts later found grounds to annul the results,after the king urged them to sort out the "mess".在国王敦促法庭收拾烂摊子后，法庭随后宣布废除选举结果。

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

6 impeach   

v.弹劾；检举

参考例句：

• We must impeach the judge for taking bribes.我们一定要检举法官收受贿赂。
• The committee decided to impeach the President.委员会决定弹劾总统。

7 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。

8 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

9 precipitating   

adj.急落的，猛冲的v.（突如其来地）使发生( precipitate的现在分词 )；促成；猛然摔下；使沉淀

参考例句：

• Precipitating electrode plate is a key part in electrostatic precipitation equipment. 静电收尘板是静电收尘设备中的关键部件。 来自互联网
• The precipitation bond adopts a sloped tube to enhance the precipitating efficiency. 沉淀池采用斜管，提高了沉降效率。 来自互联网