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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The deputy minority leader of the House of Representatives, Toby Okechukwu, has said that comments by the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, the National Assembly has no power to summon the President was the position of the All Progressives Congress ( APC).
Okechukwu, in a statement, on Wednesday, said the position of the AGF was “strange”, as the invitation of President Muhammadu Buhari by the House was a prudent effort on the part of the legislature to find a lasting solution to the worsening insecurity in the country.
The lawmaker added the President Buhari willingness to appear before the Housewas evident in his interaction with the speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila.
According to him, “without making undue to efforts to win an argument, Section 89 (1) of the 1999 Constitution as amended clearly empowers the Senate or the House of Representatives or a committee appointed in accordance with Section 62 of the Constitution to procure evidence, written or oral and to ‘summon any person in Nigeria to give evidence at any place.
“Therefore the attempt to pressurise Mr. President not to appear clearly shows that some highly placed political actors in the ruling party are placing politics over the protection of lives of Nigerians. The APC is evidently fiddling with propaganda and politics while Nigeria burns”.
Okechukwu further stated that every invitation by a branch of government to another branch to interact towards addressing any national challenges was considered as demeaning, thereby triggering unnecessary flexing of muscles.
He said:”it is evident from APC’s position as made public by the AGF that the safety of Nigerian citizens would take a back sit in the next few days, while the argument over who is right or wrong unfortunately takes the front seat”.
The lawmaker charged President Buhari to rise above the legalese and political fray to show leadership in order to rally the Nigerian people and their parliament to find lasting solutions to the growing insecurity in the country.
