The Deputy Minority Leader of the House of Representatives has faulted the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation , Abubakar Malami, on the powers of the National Assembly to summon the President.
Toby Okechukwu said the AGF was only airing the position of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
The AGF had in a statement on Wednesday maintained that the House of Representatives’ resolution inviting President Muhammadu Buhari to interface with it on the rising insecurity in the country was “outside constitutional bounds”.
But the Deputy Minority and senior lawyer disagreed with Malami, describing the AGF’s position as “strange”.
He said that the invitation was a prudent effort on the part of the legislature to find a lasting solution to the worsening insecurity in the country, adding that the President’s willingness to appear was evident in his interaction with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila.
“Without making undue to efforts to win an argument, 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.
“Therefore the attempt to pressurise 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.
