The Presidency says President Muhammadu Buhari cannot force restructuring on the country.
“The President has no power to impose restructuring on the country by military diktat. The National Assembly members are the elected representatives of the people who can handle agitations for restructuring and other constitutional changes,” Mr Garba Shehu said in a statement he signed on Tuesday.
Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, said the President is constitutionally bound to work with the lawmakers to deal with such complex issues, noting that President Buhari would not exercise arbitrary powers or bypass the legislature in taking such fundamental decisions.
He said President Buhari would not exercise arbitrary powers or bypass the legislature in taking such fundamental decisions.
“Changes don’t happen on a whim in a democracy; the ‘immediate effect’ military mentality cannot work under a democratic order.
“Since the President has sworn to defend the Constitution, he would remain faithful to that oath by working with the legislature in taking major decisions on the future of Nigeria’s federal system.”
The presidential aide, however, said while Nigerians are free to express themselves, they should exercise such liberty with restraint and a sense of responsibility.
He said calling President Buhari “an enemy of Nigeria” was extremely in a bad taste, stating that nothing in the President’s service record would justify such “scurrilous language.”
“The country’s parliament is ready and willing to discuss all issues but the pundits are more interested in TV and newspaper headlines, threats don’t work in a democracy.
“Democracy requires planning and proper process. Issues are resolved through established processes, not by abuses, insults or irresponsible statements,” Garba Shehu said. (Channelstv)
Mr. Garba Shehu you are right by the admission that the president does not have the arbitrary power to force such things on Nigeria.
However, are you trying to tell us that all those meetings and debriefing of the president since his return has not yielded a plan, any plan to meet with the legislature on these issues?
The president and the vice president have both maintained from the beginning that Nigeria must remain one, that they are not going to listen to any agitators on this issue…that’s not a very good posture to take on volatile issues such as this.
Britain once took such a stand on “Brexit…” What happened in the end? The government changed and listened to the people.
Buhari’s problems have always been to bring a cannon gun to a bar fight…he’s is always thinking militarily on civilian issues; this is precisely the reason he has given orders to his service chiefs to attack.
In the wake of overwhelming calls for restructuring from all angles, his duty, his responsibility is to convene a meeting with the legislature to begin to see their way through; of course, with his adamant stance of “no way in hell,” how can he see any other way possible.
Cash Ezimako