House of Representatives has vehemently refuted the claims by the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, that the National Assembly lacked powers to invite the President for questioning.
In what appeared like a rebuttal to the unsavoury comments that had apparently caused ripples and put the Legislative and the Executive arms of government at daggers drawn with each other, the House chided Malami, saying he was neither a part of the Presidency to have spoken for President Muhammadu Buhari nor a judge in the matter.
It would be recalled that on the account of a parliamentary resolution, December 1, the President was formally invited and scheduled to appear before the House, yesterday, to brief it on the vexatious lingering security fiasco that has been the country’s lot for ages now.
The invitation, however, came on the heels of the dastardly killing of over 43 rice farmers in Zarbamari village, Borno State, late November, 2020.
Briefing correspondents after yesterday’s plenary session, the Spokesman of the House, Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, insisted there was an official communication to the Speaker, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila after his visit to the Presidential Villa, assuring that the President would honour the invitation.
Kalu, who is also the chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, hinted that it was possible that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) may have prevailed on the president from coming.
He said that the House was yet to officially receive any communication from the president wherein it was expected that he would state his reasons for not coming.
Kalu said: “As you are aware when that motion was passed last week, it was rowdy because some members wanted the President to be there while some felt otherwise.
“But majority of the House took the mandate of their constituents, moved a resolution even against the position of the Speaker. If you were there, the Speaker struggled to make sure the House toe the line of using alternative approach to it. But the decision of the parliament overrides the presiding officers because to do otherwise will be bias and undemocratic.
“As a mark of honour, the leadership of the House sent a delegation, that’s the Speaker, Deputy Speaker and House Leader to engage the President beyond the resolution of the House. When they met with Mr President, he assured them that he will visit and address Nigerians. As the days went by, it was narrowed to Thursday.
“There were official communications from the Presidency committing to the position of Mr Speaker that the President has accepted to come. So, the Speaker and Deputy were not operating on the frolic of their own. It was backed up by the President. Up to that extent, we felt very honoured by Mr President.
“As you know what we operate is a democracy that’s hinged on party supremacy. Beyond the President lies the supremacy of the party. The President answers to the party. He’s there as President on the platform of the APC, given to him by the party. So, if he took a position as the President and his political party asks him to alter his position, if he’s truly a party man, he must oblige his party why the discussion goes on.
“We have constitutional powers to invite Buhari, anyone for information.
“All you’ve read about has been from unofficial sources. The question then becomes what’s the relevance of this visit? Many have been asking. Is it morally or legally right to have this engagement? Regarding whether it is constitutional to invite the President, somehow I would have said let’s leave the judicial interpretation of the provisions of the Constitution to be in the hands of the Judiciary, but as a lawyer, I can assure you the parliament did not act in error and this I say based on the Constitution.
“There’s a mandate and that mandate is well expressed on Section 88, 89 of the Constitution. The position of the law says that granted by Section 4 of the Armed Forces Act, the President is the chairman of Security Council. The Armed Forces Act is a piece of legislation made by the parliament. And it is the provision of 89 that we have the right to investigate issues bordering on anything we have the capacity to legislate on.
However, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, yesterday, employed unusual tact and deftly sidestepped a motion to discuss President Muhammadu Buhari’s volte-face on the parliament’s invitation to brief it on the escalating security situation in the country.