The
leadership of the National Assembly has reportedly listed three
conditions to be met for a friendly relationship with the executive arm
of government.
Senate President Bukola Saraki
The Nigerian senate has given the Aso Rock Villa three conditions it must meet for peace to reign.
Top of the conditions is the removal of the Acting Chairman of the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu, and
the withdrawal of a statement credited to Acting President Yemi Osinbajo
through Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State that there is no going
back on Magu’s nomination.
The other conditions include Presidency’s compliance with the
resolutions/decisions/ summons of the National Assembly on budget and
other issues, as well as prevailing on Power, Works and Housing Minister
Babatunde Raji Fashola to withdraw his statement attacking the
integrity of the National Assembly.
The conditions were tabled by the Senate leadership before a
mediator who is trying to bring the warring sides together. Sources said
yesterday that the mediator enjoys the confidence of Acting President
Yemi Osinbajo and Senate President Bukola Saraki.
The parley is understood to have succeeded for now in bridging the communication gap between the two arms of government.
It was learnt that the latest initiative is part of the effort to
“resolve the feud between the two arms in a family manner” without any
of the sides feeling hurt.
But it was gathered that Osinbajo made it clear that only President Buhari could determine Magu’s fate.
It was also gathered that Saraki told the intermediary that he has no personal grudges against the Acting President.
He, however, said senators were determined to protect the legislative institution.
According to a top source, the three conditions formed the kernel
of talks between Osinbajo and Saraki last week, with the two leaders
agreeing on a mature way of addressing the “grey areas.”
The source said the Presidency had been trying to address the three
conditions with only Magu’s fate still hanging in the balance.
The source said: “We are getting closer to a win-win situation
between the two arms. In fact, when the mediator met with Saraki, he
said he had “met with Osinbajo and he nurses no personal grudges at all.
“He also said what the senators wanted was that the Senate be
respected in accordance with its constitutional mandate by complying
with its resolutions, decisions and summons.”
The source also explained that the Presidency has been forthcoming on the conditions set by the Senate.
The source said: “As for compliance with the resolutions or
decisions or summons of the National Assembly, the Presidency gave a
commitment to the Senate leadership to give due regards to the
legislature.
“You know the Acting President is a lawyer and he believes in the principle of separation of powers.
“On Magu, the Acting President insisted that only his boss,
President Muhammadu Buhari can determine the fate of the Acting chairman
of EFCC.
“He said the Senate would have to wait for the return of the President.”
“Regarding a statement credited to el-Rufai, the mediation has
revealed that the governor ran his own errand because nothing warranted
the comments in the mandate given to him to represent the Acting
President. Neither the Presidency nor Osinbajo can be held liable for
el-Rufai’s comments.”
Rufai, representing Osinbajo at a public function in Kaduna, had
quoted the Acting President as saying there was no going back on Magu’s
nomination for the EFCC job.
There were however indications that the Acting President had
directed the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Fashola to “clarify
his statement” in a way that it will not hurt the relationship between
the two arms of government.
The source added: “This was why Fashola tactically apologised to
the National Assembly in an interview with reporters on Tuesday on the
sidelines of the Presidential Quarterly Business Forum held at the old
Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja.
“He said if he was being misunderstood, his intention was not to quarrel with anybody but to see a better Nigeria.
“The Presidency believes such a mature retraction of Fashola’s virulent comments will assuage the National Assembly.”
In complying with the directive of the Acting President, Fashola
had said: “There is no problem between me as an individual and the
National Assembly.
“And let me make that very clear, many of the senators and
honourable members are my personal friends, and so you don’t fight your
friends. But we have a disagreement.
“You will remember when President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated the
Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, he had enormous support from the
leadership of the National Assembly. So it means that we all agree there
is a problem.
“There is also disagreement which I don’t think should make us
disagreeable about the best way to implement that plan, and I think that
is all there is to it.
“It is perhaps possible that in the heat of the moment, while
trying to canvass different positions, we are misconstrued as fighting.
But I am not fighting anybody. We have a disagreement it shouldn’t make
us disagreeable.
“So my responsibility is to continue to engage. Also even if I
wasn’t a minister, I am a citizen also, so the parliamentarians are also
representing me.
“So these are the issues and if I have been misunderstood, my
intention was not to quarrel with anybody but to see a better Nigeria
which I believe they also want to see.”
Investigation showed that the Senate might also soft-pedal on its decision to reject nominees from the Executive.
A government source said: “With last week’s talks between the
Acting President and the President of the Senate, we are expecting that
tension will ease.
“The government has met some of the conditions tabled for peace
between the two arms. Although the discussion is still ongoing, the
latest mediator has done well.
“Ordinarily, since all the key actors are members of the same
party, there is no basis for the Executive-National Assembly face-off.
“The two sides have substantially mended fences. We are hopeful that all will be well soon.”
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