The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has challenged the assumption of Presidential powers by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, to announce an extension of lockdown and curfew in the country in relation to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Specifically, the opposition party has stated that the constitution does not in anyway vest in the Office of the SGF the Presidential executive orders to declare curfew and restriction of movements.
The SGF had during the regular press briefing by the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, in Abuja on Monday, announced that lockdown is extended by two weeks.
However,Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP National Publicity Secretary, in a statement issued in Abuja, described the action as “abdication of responsibilities.”
According to Ologbondiyan, the action of the SGF has brought serious confusion in the polity regarding the legality or otherwise of the directives contained in the SGF’s announcement.
“Such powers are vested in the person and office of Mr. President and not exercisable by proxy, directly or indirectly; which makes the action of the SGF a recipe for serious constitutional crisis in our country.
“Our nation is a state governed by dictates of the law, particularly in the exercise of powers vested in statutory offices, especially that of the President.
“The PDP holds that the announcement by the SGF is, therefore, another manifestation of abuse of our statutory offices arising from the abdication of responsibilities by President Buhari since the last five years, which had also become more pronounced in this fight against COVID-19,” Ologbondiyan stated.
Consequently, the PDP has called on President, Muhammadu Buhari to end the confusion in the polity, arising from the action of the SGF, “by immediately addressing Nigerians in his official capacity to fulfill the demands of the laws in respect of the necessary protocols on restrictions and other management procedures in the fight against the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in the country.”
