NASS resolution: Quit now, Secondus tells Buhari; We have nothing to say —Presidency

Mr Uche Secondus

The National Chairman of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to quit the stage now that “it’s evident that he cannot hold the government and the country together.”

According to a statement issued by Ike Abonyi, the Special Adviser to the National Chairman in Abuja on Wednesday, Secondus was reacting to the resolutions the National Assembly threatening to invoke their constitutional powers on the President if a number of constitutional infringements are not quickly addressed.

Secondus said that there was no further confirmation to the fact that the President is presiding over “a collapsed administration.”
The statement said that the position of the parliament reflected that of a cross-section of Nigerians and should be respected.

Secondus contended that even though the position of the legislators was delayed in coming “given the damage was already done to democracy and the country by the purposeless administration,” the lawmakers still deserve some commendations for standing up for democracy and rule of law.

The statement quoted the party boss as saying: “Evidence abounds globally that by parliamentary powers the resolution of the National Assembly means that the people have lost confidence in the President and he should quit.

“We in the opposition have been saying it interminably that this government has no direction and does not mean well for the country.”

According to Secondus, all lovers of democracy should queue behind the National Assembly at this critical time in our political challenge and put pressure on the President to leave the stage now and save our democracy and the country.

He said that government has exhibited all traits of a failed administration and did not need to wait for the parliament to give it a quit notice.

“History is a witness that when a government is bereft of ideas and still wants to cling on to power, it resorts to use of brute force, intimidation and harassment of opponents, a quality we have seen very blatantly in this regime,” he further said.

The PDP National Chairman asserted that a supposed civilian government that does not want institutions of democracy to strive should be called its exact name dictatorship.

He said that the PDP was privy to various clandestine moves including raising a special killer squad to further cow or even eliminate opposition leaders including the National Chairman to pave way for the APC agenda of hoisting a one party system on the country.

Secondus stated: “The legislature and the Judiciary are the two main arms of any democratic government all over the World, but this administration has deliberately made the operations of the two very tasking in the last three years.

“How do you explain the assault on the nation’s Senate by an ostensibly Executive backed hoodlums who not only disrupted proceedings but abducted the mace the symbol of parliamentary authority, the framing up of the Senate President and some of his vocal colleagues in an armed robbery and other related criminal cases or the forceful infiltration of homes of Justices and Judges at the wee hours of the night with arms by operatives of a supposedly democratic administration.”

The PDP boss urged the National Assembly to quickly invoke their powers on the President and avert further bruises to the nation’s democratic advancement.

The Presidency has said it has nothing to say on the resolutions passed by the joint session of the National Assembly for President Muhammadu Buhari to act upon or the legislature would be forced to invoke its constitutional powers.

Senior Special Assistant to the president on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, told State House correspondents on Wednesday that the Presidency had nothing to say.

He had been asked to respond to the demands made by both chambers of the National Assembly on Tuesday.

The resolutions included that the “Security Agencies must be given marching orders to curtail the sustained killings of Nigerians across the country and protect life and properties of Nigerians as this is the primary duty of any responsible Government.

“The systematic harassment and humiliation by the Executive of perceived political opponents, people with contrary opinions including Legislators and Judiciary by the police and other security agencies must stop.

“There must be strict adherence to the Rule of Law and protection for all citizens by the President and his appointees.

“The President must be held accountable for the actions of his appointees and must be ready to sanction those that carry out any act which will ridicule or endanger our country and democracy.

“The Government should show sincerity in the fight against corruption by not being selective also prosecute current appointees that have cases pending against them.

“The sanctity of the National Assembly should protect and preserve the Federal Government of Nigeria by not interfering in its business and prosecute those who invaded the Senate to seize the mace.

“National Assembly should liaise with International Communities through the IPU, APU, ECOWAS, CPA, Parliament, Pan African Parliament, EU, UN, US Congress and UK Parliament to secure our democracy.

“Democratic elections must be competitive and inclusive by removing the present reign of fear and intimidation particularly as we approach the forthcoming 2019 elections.”