FORMER president of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, on Wednesday, faulted claims by President Muhammadu Buhari that the eighth Senate did not organise a security summit to tackle the challenges bedevilling the nation. In a statement by his special adviser on media and publicity, Mr Yusuph Olaniyonu, Saraki contended that the development was a deliberate attempt to push out false narratives aimed at “shifting blames and passing the buck arising from the security and other challenges confronting the country on the eighth National Assembly.”
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, had quoted Buhari to have said that he tried hard to get the eighth (National) Assembly to do the same (organise a security summit) for the sake of the country but did not succeed much.
Buhari made the claim while receiving the report of the national security summit held on May 26 from the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila. While describing the claim as misleading and unfounded, Saraki maintained that the eighth Senate, without any prompting from the Presidency, organised a well-attended two- day security summit on February 8 and 12, 2018.
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According to the statement, “on a matter as sensitive and important in the scale of constitutional responsibilities of the legislature like security, it will be irresponsible of us not to state the true situation concerning the claim by the Presidency.
“We need to inform the general public that the eighth Senate, without any prompting from the Presidency, organised a well-attended two-day security summit on February 8 and 12, 2018. “The security summit was organised by the ad hoc committee of the eighth Senate on the review of the security infrastructure headed by the incumbent Senate President, Dr Ahmed Lawan… “We believe that facts are sacred and opinions are free. Therefore, we urge those in charge of representing the views of the president to the public to always check their facts diligently and ensure that such reports are based on truth and nothing but the truth.”
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