Standup9ja: Buhari’s absence hasn’t created constitutional
crisis, says Presidency
the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and
Publicity, Garba Shehu, on Monday said there was no imminent political and
constitutional crisis in the country on account of the absence of President
Muhammadu Buhari who is currently attending to his health in London, the United
Kingdom.
He warned those who he said were creating artificial fears
of crisis or uncertainty to desist because governance had not grounded to a
halt in the country.
He said Buhari complied with the provision of the nation’s
constitution before leaving the country on May 7.
According to a statement by the Deputy Director of
Information, State House, Mr. Attah Esa, the presidential spokesman was
reacting to an article by a Nigerian historian,
Max Siollun, titled, “The Gentleman’s Agreement that Could Break Apart
Nigeria,” published in the United
States-based Foreign Policy magazine.
The historian had indicated that Nigeria faces imminent
political and constitutional crises on account of Buhari’s continued absence in
the country.
But Shehu described the article as “needlessly sensational
and exaggerated speculations by conspiracy theorists.”
He said it was misleading to compare Buhari’s case to that
of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, saying that the circumstances were
completely different.
According to Shehu, unlike Yar’Adua, Buhari had duly
complied with the constitutional requirements by formally notifying the
National Assembly of his intention to go for medical treatment and handed over
to Prof. Yemi Osinbajo as acting President.
“While Yar’Adua was too severely ill to transmit a letter
formally to the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, President Buhari is not in such medical state, and, therefore,
the country is not currently facing any complications on account of his
absence,” Shehu said.
He noted that under Yar’Adua, there was uncertainty about
the role of the Vice-President because the late President was not in a position
to formally transfer power to the Vice-President, which necessitated the resort
to the doctrine of necessity to enable Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to act in his
absence.
He added that, currently, none of these circumstances
prevailed in Nigeria on account of Buhari’s absence for medical treatment.
According to him, having transferred power formally to
Osinbajo, Buhari did not leave Nigeria with any power vacuum.
Shehu said any suggestions of uncertainty or constitutional
crisis were, therefore, imaginary and exaggerated.
He explained further
that with Osinbajo already running the affairs of the country in the absence of
the President, people should stop creating artificial fears of crisis or
uncertainty.
He appealed to those he called “conspiracy theorists” not to
pollute the polity by needlessly seeking to create an atmosphere of fear,
uncertainty and suspicions in the country.
Shehu said the
President publicly admitted that he was sick and taking treatment and that he
never pretended about his health condition with that open admission.
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