PDP Blasts Buhari For Not Informing National Assembly Of His Private UK Trip

The opposition party has tackled President
Buhari for leaving the country without
informing the National Assembly.
The main opposition party, the Peoples
Democratic Party has warned Nigerians to
expect more daring actions from the
President in coming days after he left the
country without notifying the National
Assembly.
According to Punch, PDP said this was one
of the many reasons why the President and
the All Progressives Congress were making
moves to install their cronies as the heads of
the two chambers of the 9th National
Assembly.
The National Chairman of the PDP, Prince
Uche Secondus, who spoke to Punch on
Saturday, said the President and the APC
were planning to undermine the 9th National
Assembly.
Secondus stated:-
                         
 "“We now see one of the reasons
why the President and his party
are desperate to force their
cronies on both the Senate and
the House of Representatives.
“The President wants a National
Assembly that will not ask him
questions. He wants a leadership
that will pass bills as presented
without subjecting them to public
hearing and debate. The President
wants to leave the country without
anyone asking him his
whereabouts.
“That will not be possible in a
country like Nigeria. How will he
leave for 10 days without
informing the National Assembly
and also hand over to the Vice
President? This is wrong."

Secondus asked Nigerians to get ready to
confront the President in the coming days,
wondering why he (Buhari) would not show
commitment to end the killings in many
states, including Katsina.
Reacting, the Presidency said that Buhari
could govern the country from anywhere in
the world. It stated that so long as the
President’s absence was for a short period,
he did not need to inform the National
Assembly.
The Presidency also said Buhari, while in the
UK, was exercising authority as the President
since his absence would be for 10 days and
not up to 21 days.
In a response to an enquiry on the issue by
Sunday PUNCH, the Senior Special Assistant
to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr
Garba Shehu, made a reference to Section
145 (1)(2) of the 1999 Constitution to make
a defence for Buhari.
When asked why Buhari did not inform the
National Assembly of his trip, Shehu replied
that it was not necessary.
He stated:-

"  No, that is not necessary. The
President can exercise authority
from wherever he is as he is
currently doing.
“This is a relatively short absence.
If you check Section 145 (1) and
(2) of the Constitution, you will
see that the law is only infringed
upon when such absence extends
to 21 days.” "

       The President had jetted out of the country
on Thursday, last week.


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