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.
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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