Connect with us
Advertisement

Politics

Osinbajo to lead committee to end Buhari’s clash with Senate

Published

on

Advertisement

President Muhammadu Buhari has set up a committee to resolve the conflict between him and the legislature.

From left: Secretary to Govt. of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal; National Security Adviser, Maj.- Gen. Babagana Monguno (retired) and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, during the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja yesterday

The committee is headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and it included all ministers who were former senators.

These are Chris Ngige (Labour), Udoma Udoma (Budget and National Planning), Heineken Lokpobiri (State, Agriculture), Hadi Sirika (State for Aviation) and Aisha Alhassan (Women Affairs).

Advertisement

Other members are the Senior Special Assistants to the President on National Assembly Matters, Ita Enang (Senate) and Samaila Kawu (House of Representatives).

Members of the committee met at the vice president’s office after the cabinet meeting.

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, told reporters that the cabinet expressed concern over the strained relationship between the executive and the Senate in particular.

Advertisement

He said: “The executive is also concerned that the relationship between the two arms of government is not as smooth as it is supposed to be.

“In any democracy, it is a continuous struggle for balancing between the executive and the legislature because each of them is a creature of the law.

“We must strive at all times to ensure that there is that balance, amity and smooth relationship.

Advertisement
Advertisement

“Just today (Wednesday) at the Federal Executive Council meeting, the issue was discussed and a committee is already working on ensuring that we resolve all these outstanding issues,” the minister said.

The Senate Tuesday put off the confirmation of 27 Resident Electoral Commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission for two weeks.

It took the decision to protest continued presence in office of the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, even though his nomination was rejected twice by the senate. 

The upper chamber had also expressed displeasure at the refusal by the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Hameed Ali, to wear uniform.

The Senate had earlier this year called for the removal of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, following allegation of misappropriation of funds meant for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in the northeast.