It’s ‘somewhat inaccurate’ to say National Assembly threatened Buhari – Rep

A member of the House of Representatives, Razaq Atunwa, says it is partially untrue that the National Assembly is threatening President Muhammadu Buhari.

Hon. Atunwa, who is the House Committee Chairman on Judiciary, stated this during an interview with a national TV.

The Senate and the House of Representatives had held an emergency joint session on Tuesday over pressing issues affecting the country, including insecurity and the economy.

The National Assembly consequently revealed the resolutions of the session and vowed to evoke its constitutional powers if nothing is done to address issues raised.

The lawmakers had warned President Buhari against the “systematic harassment and humiliation by the Executive of perceived political opponents”.

They also referred to the failure of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, to appear before the Senate on three occasions and accused him of “outright disregard for constitutional authority, both executive and legislative”.

The National Assembly said the President must be held accountable for the actions of his appointees and must be ready to sanction those engaging in acts that can endanger democracy.

Clarifying the position of the lawmakers, Atunwa insisted, “It’s somewhat inaccurate and disingenuous to say that we threatened the President or threatened anyone indeed.

“What we said was that having read those resolutions, it’s important that the President takes heed of them and acts upon them,” he added.

The lawmaker, however, disclosed that the National Assembly would not hesitate to carry out its constitutionally empowered responsibility to ensure that democracy is deepened should the President fail to act upon them.

He maintained that the Legislature would continue to ensure that there is security of lives and property in the country while the citizenry is protected from fear or intimidation.

Atunwa said contrary to claims of bias, the lawmakers made the resolutions purely in the interest of the country and its people.

He added that they went through an extensive deliberation which included contributions from members of both chambers and their leaders.

But a former member of the House, Mr West Idahosa, believed the National Assembly’s message to the Executive and specifically, President Buhari was clear.

“When the President has been asked to comply with certain decisions of the National Assembly, otherwise they will invoke their constitutional power, it’s a very clear message,” Idahosa said.