Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has written to some foreign missions in Nigeria, detailing what he referred to as “Constitutional Breaches Under The Watch Of President Muhammadu Buhari”.
Atiku in the letter written to the ambassadors of United States (US) France, Germany, European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK) High Commissioner to Nigeria on Tuesday said President Buhari was threatening Nigeria’s democracy with his brazen breaches of the laws of Nigeria.
Atiku said he chose to write the letter in recognition of the enviable role that these countries play as champions of Democracy and the Rule of Law.
“I am also writing you as Nigeria’s international development partner working together to deepen and strengthen our democracy as well as to help in the transformation of our economies and societies for the better.
“President Muhammadu Buhari is threatening our democracy by serially breaching the provisions of our constitution and undermining organs and institutions of State in order to advance his personal interest. While the President has ironically taken oath to safeguard and defend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the reality of his selective and wanton violations of its provisions means that his oath is observed only in the breach,” Atiku said.
He said respect for the rule of law is integral to promoting and preserving the values and principles of democracy, stressing however, that it is sad that by the actions of the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, one is forced to think otherwise.
“As a Presidential Candidate in the forthcoming General Elections that will be conducted and supervised by the Government of President Muhammadu Buhari, I feel the urgent need to share with you some of these key violations of the provisions of our constitution and to demand that you pile pressure on the Federal Government to desist from these violations and ensure a level playing field for the General Elections that are only a couple of weeks away.
The former Vice President highlighted some of these constitutional infractions to include: The Purported Suspension of CJN Onnoghen
“On Friday, January 25, 2019, our nation woke up to the shocking news of the unilateral and extra-constitutional suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen and the immediate appointment and swearing in of Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, as the new acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN). This action of President Muhammadu Buhari, not only breaches the Nigerian Constitution, but has also managed to undermine Presidential democracy by assaulting one of its hallowed doctrines of separation of Powers.”
Atiku also alleged that the illegal purchase of the Tucano Aircraft was another breach of the law by Buhari.
“President Buhari sometime in April 2018 approved the purchase of Tucano Aircrafts for the Nigerian Military at the sum of $496 million (Four Hundred and Ninety-Six Million United States Dollars). This, he did, without seeking prior approval of the National Assembly contrary to Section 80 (3) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) which states very clearly, how the President can spend monies belonging to the Federation. It provides:
“(3) No money shall be withdrawn from the Consolidated Revenue Fund or any other public fund of the Federation, except in the manner prescribed by the National Assembly.
“(4) No monies shall be withdrawn from the Consolidated Revenue Fund or any other public fund of the Federation, except in the manner prescribed by the National Assembly.”
He also noted that Buhari has in multiple occasions disregarded Orders of Courts, saying the Buhari administration had serially violated court orders, going against the rule of law especially in three known cases, namely Col. Sambo Dasuki (Former National Security Adviser): He noted that various courts have granted Col. Dasuki bail on at least six different occasions but the Buhari led government has persistently refused to comply with the court orders.
He also pointed out the travails Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), popularly called the Shiite Group. He said Sheikh El-Zakzaky had been in detention without trial for over 3 years after his followers were massacred in broad daylight; his wife and family killed and his home burnt, in a gory and shameful show of brute force by the Nigerian Army. “This particular state violence is nothing short of genocide,” he said.
He also pointed that the approval of $1 billion for military expenditure before approaching the National Assembly was in contravention of the law.
