Impunity: Misleading Mr. President

Jide Ajani

What would it profit President Muhammadu Buhari to keep the Senate at bay and risk embarrassing himself in ways that defy common sense and logic?

President Muhammadu Buhari 

Or, put differently, when does Buhari intend to get rid of the monkey on his back, a monkey which continues to present him as a man of petty disposition?

These are some of the questions a section of the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as well as the handlers of Mr. President must continue to contend with as Nigeria’s leader serially creates conditions that force him to appear to be intent on walking naked in the market place.

Worse still, Buhari, who, despite the very insensate, rude and wicked name-calling by the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Council, still rode to power on the goodwill of over 12million Nigerians, but is today in danger of creating conditions that would make the PDP leaders claim “we told you so”.

It is now a market place realityas Buhari has been refusing to have any unofficial relationship with the Senate obviously to please political leaders who were shamed that their candidates were defeated in the election into the Senate leadership.

Unfortunately for the President, this is not a military administration where the Head of State can act unilaterally – most appointments, policy decisions and appropriation of funds must be approved by the NASS, particularly the Senate.

His obstinate refusal to maintain a proper and mutually beneficial relationship with the Senate in particular has led to some unpardonable  nay embarrassing mistakes .

One of such was the appointment of Asset Management Company of Nigeria, AMCON, Chairman and Board members with the marching orders to start work immediately when such appointments ought to be confirmed by the Senate.

The same thing happened in the appointment of the Acting Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, when Prof. Attahiru Jega, a more sensible and adroit individual, did the right thing and handed over to somebody – Buhari reversed it and appointed Amina Zakari illegally, pooh-poohing the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which states, in part, that the tenure of an INEC Commissioner cannot be terminated without the confirmation of the Senate voting two third majority in support of such – not a letter terminating her tenure just so she could be appointed as Acting Chairman..

Even the release of money as palliative measure or bail out to states, a form of expenditure, did not enjoy the benefit of going through the Senate.

At the centre of this administrative malady is the suspected role of  the Head of Service, Mr. Danladi Kifasi, who seems to have grown in influence due to the absence of ministers and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF.

On a few occasions, Buhari has had to reverse himself as he is set to do on the AMCON issue because the Senate has a role to play.

He may enjoy running a broken government for now but the consequences are much more than a President who is being ill-advised that he can continue to run Nigeria like a sole administrator.

It is even incomprehensible that the champions of due process, egalitarianism and constitutional order, most of who now people the APC, are keeping a shameful silence in the face of this rape of the Constitution because many of them are expecting to be appointed as ministers or board chairmen.

Compliance with the 1999 Constitution is at the heart of the matter.

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