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| President Muhammadu Buhari |
The Presidency, yesterday, said President Muhammadu
Buhari would not intervene in the lingering crisis rocking the National
Assembly, citing separation of powers as reason for that.
This came as Sokoto
Governor and Chairman, Peace Committee on House of Representatives leadership
crisis, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, said that peace process was on going, promising
that soon, the crisis would be resolved.
Vanguard report continues:
President Buhari had
come under pressure from many quarters for his apparent docility amid the
lingering face-off in the National Assembly and his party, the All Progressives
Congress, APC, accusing him of not being assertive.
Speaking in an
exclusive interview with Vanguard in Abuja, yesterday, on the apparent
docility of the President amid the lingering crises in the National Assembly
and his party, the APC, Special Adviser to the President on Media and
Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said Buhari had since chosen to give recourse to
the Constitution of the land and the principle of separation of power on which
Nigeria bases its federalism.
Adesina said Buhari’s
intervention would portray him as a “dictator or a despot” which he said runs
at variance with democratic ethos and values.
Buhari not a dictator
He said: “How do you
become assertive when there is separation of powers? There is separation of
powers between the executive and the legislature. The legislature is an entity
on its own. The executive does not superintend over the legislature.
“So, you can’t be
assertive over a place you do not supervise. So, I think to ask the President
to be assertive over the legislature is to ask him to be a despot. It is to ask
him to become a dictator and this President will not do that.”
Reminded that the
President could approach the matter using the cover of APC as a family to
dispute, Adesina said the President had already been involved in the peace
process, stressing that he would not lord it over the members to take advice.
He was, however,
optimistic that the crisis would not escalate any further than it already had.
He said: “Don’t forget
that, yes, he is the President of the country and he emerged on the platform of
the APC. So, it is in that spirit that he attended the NEC meeting last Friday
at the party secretariat. He also said when they called the BoT meeting, he
will attend. But he cannot go and lord anything over them. He cannot.
“He also emerged on the
platform of that party. The party is bigger than everyone. That’s what is meant
by party supremacy. So, party supremacy does not even allow him to lord it over
anybody. He can only be part of a process to sort out whatever logjam, whatever
impasse they have.
“How can it further
escalate than what we have now? Can it further escalate than what we have now?
I don’t see that. The President is involved already because he has been meeting
with various interest groups but he will not do beyond that. He is not going to
ram anything into anybody’s throat because that will not be consistent with
democratic ethos. He wouldn’t do that.”
Peace underway —Tambuwal
Also speaking on the
issue at the Presidential Villa after a personal visit to President Buhari
yesterday, the Governor of Sokoto State and immediate past Speaker of the 7th
House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, assured that peace is underway
in the chambers of the both the Senate and the House.
Tambuwal, when asked to
confirm the insistence of Rep. Gbajabiamila’s camp to be given all the four
principal officers positions, said he would not preempt the committee’s report.
He also dismissed
insinuations that his case during his tenure has emboldened the members to
fight dirty, saying that they were mature enough to take their own decision.
He said: “Mr. President
is the leader of the party and as a governor of Sokoto State, I have come to
see him and indeed to seek his advice and rub minds with him on issues
bordering on security and continued development of the country. You could see
that our meeting with him was business-like and I believe that is how it should
be when you come to a leader such as Mr. President. You don’t take much of his
time. You go to issues and address them and then take your leave.
“We have commenced
meetings and even today we are going to have yet another meeting and I believe
that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Peace and normalcy will be
restored to the chambers of the National Assembly and I assure that we will
continue to support Mr. President for us to deliver on our promises to the
Nigerian people.
Caving in to
Gbajabiamila’s insistence on principally officers positions
“It is not a matter of
caving into it. I am a mediator and I am not at liberty to pre-empt what should
be the outcome of my report, therefore I am not in a position to confirm that.
“I should leave that to you
to make your own judgement. I believe they are all matured people representing
their various constituencies in both at the Senate and the House of
Representatives and they should know what is best for the country and the
party.”
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