The opposition People’s Democratic Party on Thursday berated President Muhammadu Buhari for boycotting a planned visit to the National Assembly today to address a joint sitting on of the house on security issues affecting the nation.
“Mr President is afraid of the obvious, he knows he has nothing to tell Nigerians on the security situation in the country. That is why he is running from the National Assembly. He also failed in every area of governance including security,” National Publicity Secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, said on a television programme Thursday.
The House of Representatives had last week invited Buhari over the rising insecurity, especially the killing of over 43 farmers in Borno State.
The Presidency initially responded that the President would honour the invitation, but by Tuesday this week, there were indication that Buhari might not pay the visit to the National Assembly. He had been expected to address a joint session of the Senate and the House during the visit.
The spokesperson of the opposition party also said there was no plan by the PDP caucus in the House of Representatives to embarrass the president at the sitting today.
On Wednesday, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), said the National Assembly lacked the power to invite the President to speak on security matters.
“The National Assembly has no Constitutional Power to envisage or contemplate a situation where the President would be summoned by the National Assembly on the operational use of the Armed Forces,” Malami said in a statement titled Buhari’s Summon: NASS Operates Outside Constitutional Bounds’
“The right of the President to engage the National Assembly and appear before it is inherently discretionary in the President and not at the behest of the National Assembly,” he said.
