On this day in 2002, Nigeria’s young Fourth Republic faced one of its most intense constitutional showdowns when the House of Representatives passed a resolution giving President Olusegun Obasanjo a two-week ultimatum to either resign voluntarily or face formal impeachment proceedings.

The motion was spearheaded by Speaker Ghali Umar Na’Abba and backed by a broad coalition of lawmakers within the 360-member chamber. Friction between the executive arm and the legislature had been building over several core issues, including the non-implementation of national budgets passed by the Assembly, allegations of executive high-handedness, frequent presidential overseas trips, and controversial military operations in Odi and Zaki Biam.

The House formally advised the President to resign honorably within 14 days, warning that failure to do so would trigger immediate impeachment proceedings. The threat sent shockwaves through the nation, particularly because both the presidency and the legislative majority belonged to the same political party, the Peoples Democratic Party.

President Obasanjo publicly dismissed the resolution, famously describing it as a joke taken too far, and steadfastly refused to step down. As the deadline elapsed, elder statesmen, former heads of state, and party leaders stepped in to mediate the crisis. Through intense political negotiations and horse-trading, as well as the distraction of the upcoming 2003 general elections, the impeachment effort eventually lost momentum. Nevertheless, the resolution remains a defining moment in Nigerian political history, serving as a dramatic assertion of legislative power against executive authority under civilian rule.