President Muhammadu Buhari has begun a short vacation from yesterday February 5 to February 10, 2016.
A statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina said the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo would perform the functions of the President while the President is on vacation.
In compliance with Section 145 (1) of the Nigerian Constitution, Buhari had dispatched a formal notice of his vacation to the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara respectively, the statement said.
Adesina debunked the speculations that Buhari took the leave to attend to health challenges, saying that only evil people who do not wish others well would be thinking like that. "There is absolutely no truth to the rumour, it is groundless and should be disregarded".
A constitutional lawyer, Ms Caroline Ajie however faulted the procedure of handing over power to the Vice President without a letter transmitting it through the legislature was wrong.
Ajie in a statement yesterday expressed concern that the constitutionally laid down procedure that requires the President to transfer power to his Vice through a letter transmitted to the legislature was not properly adhered to.
The radical lawyer said: "As you say you are being guided by section 145 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 which states that: “whenever the president transmits to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a written declaration that he is proceeding on vacation or that he is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of his office, until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary such functions shall be discharged by the Vice President as acting President.
“Mr. President has given only a few days of absence from today Friday 5th Feb to Wednesday 10th Feb 2016 and when you exclude weekend effectively being away for two days following the Interpretation Act. Two days off, sir, is not enough to issue this declaration. What am I getting at? The instrument to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives ought not to bear any 'end date' but a 'start date' only. You may please write to allow the Vice President to act as President until such a time you are fit to resume work, to preside over Africa’s most populous nation."
Ajie who has been at the forefront to ensure that President Buhari follows the rule law queried: "assuming arguendo by Wednesday February 10, you still feel unable to proceed with work by reason of health issues or age, are you going to seek extension?
- Rexinews
- Thisday
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