By Ismail Auwal
The House of Representatives has remained silent on President Buhari’s refusal to honour its summon to appear before its plenary on the issue of insecurity bedevilling the nation.
Contrary to the assurance given by the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, that Buhari had agreed to honour the the House’s invitation, the president refused to honour agreement to appear at the National Assembly on Wednesday.
This decision, Sahelian Times has gathered, came after president had met with the governors who allegedly influenced him to disregard the House’s invitation and avoid setting a precedent.
It could be recalled that the House of Representaives had earlier summoned the president, as part of its legislative duty, in order to find a lasting solution to the worsening insecurity in the country.
Later on, the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, publicly criticized the lawmakers for going beyond their boundaries, arguing that they have no constitutional right to summon the president.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Malami argued that it was outside the constitutional powers of the National Assembly to summon the president over his “operational use of the Armed Forces”.
“President Muhamamdu Buhari of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has recorded tremendous success in containing the hitherto incessant bombing, colossal killings, wanton destruction of lives and property that bedeviled the country before attaining the helm of affairs of the country in 2015,” the statement read.
“The confidentiality of strategies employed by the President as the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is not open for public exposure in view of security implications in probable undermining of the war against terror.
According to the statement “The fact that President Muhammadu Buhari was instrumental to the reclaiming of over 14 Local Governments previously controlled by the Boko Haram in North East is an open secret, the strategies for such achievement are not open for public expose.”
