The Deputy Minority Leader for the House of Reps, Toby Okechukwu has kicked against the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, for saying that the National Assembly lacks the power to summon Mr. President to the Hallow chamber.
The lawmaker blames some highly placed political actors especially of the ruling party, APC to decline the National Assembly invitation to President Buhari.
According to Okechukwu, the AGF has allowed himself to become the mouthpiece of the APC, saying what Malami said was just airing the interest of the APC.
The green Chamber had last week summon president Buhari to appear before the House to give the lawmakers an update about what is happening to the Nigerian security that 50 rice farmers were massacred in Borno state.
Subsequently, the Speaker of the House Femi Gbajabiamila informed Newsmen that President Buhari has honored the invitation and was scheduled to appear before the House today, Thursday 10th December 2020 to brief the house.
However, yesterday as the house was preparing to welcome President Buhari, the Minister of Justice released a statement that the lawmakers lack powers to summon the President describing the call of the house of Reps as “outside constitutional bounds”.
The Deputy Minority leader who is also a lawyer representing Aniri/Awgu/Orji River Federal Constituency, Enugu state said it was “strange” faulting Malami’s claim.
He said, “Section 89 (1) of the 1999 Constitution as amended clearly empowers the Senate or the House of Representatives or a committee appointed in accordance with Section 62 of the Constitution to procure evidence, written or oral and to ‘summon any person in Nigeria to give evidence at any place,” Okechukwu was quoted by Channels Television.
He added, “Therefore the attempt to pressurize Mr. President not to appear clearly shows that some highly placed political actors in the ruling party are placing politics over the protection of lives of Nigerians. The APC is evidently fiddling with propaganda and politics while Nigeria burns”,
According to him, Nigerians now can see clearly that the APC as a party has relegated Nigerians lives to the back seat while the argument on who is right or wrong now has taken the front seat.
