Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Senator, Ajibola Basiru, has said the statement by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, that the National Assembly has no right to summon the President.
Basiru who spoke in a telephone interview with Tribune Online said Malami’s view had no bearing with the Senate, as the Senate did not summon the President, Muhammadu Buhari, to explain security operations to the lawmakers in the red chamber.
He said while he could offer an expert legal opinion on the matter he is constrained to do so as his legal opinion may be misconstrued as the opinion of the Senate.
“I have not read the statement and what I know is that the Senate did not invite the President and I would not know if his statement would apply to the Senate.
“I do not want to talk. I have a responsibility to speak as spokesperson of the Senate, whatever opinion I express which may purely be legal opinion may be misinterpreted as the opinion of the Senate, so I would rather that other legal experts do this.
Malami had in a statement said that “the National Assembly has no Constitutional Power to envisage or contemplate a situation where the President would be summoned by the National Assembly on the operational use of the Armed Forces.”
He said appearance before the legislature by the President was a matter discretion in the part of the President.
Malami maintained that the security matters are covert and not for public discussion hence his consideration of the invitation by the lower chamber to the President on security matter is capable of compromising the nation’s security architecture.
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