On AGF Malami and the House summon of President Buhari – By Frank Ofili

Let us not go into history, one of which was the refusal of PDP’s oil empress, and minister of petroleum resources under President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, Diezani Allison-Madueke, to honour the invitation of the 7th House of Representatives to appear before it to explain the circumstances surrounding the $20 billion which then CBN governor Sanusi Lamido Sanussi alleged was missing from NNPC’s Account. NNPC was under the remit of Allison-Madueke as petroleum resources minister.

Then President Jonathan supported and protected Diezani from acerbic attacks from Nigerians and members of the House of Reps who were livid with her refusal to appear. Even PDP saw nothing wrong with Allison-Madueke’s shun of the House invitation. Remember this issue later led to the sack of the then CBN governor

But that is in the past, to which we don’t want to go back.

Today I don’t know whether President Buhari would be right to shun House invitation over insecurity in the country. AGF Malami says the House lacks the constitutional power to summon the President in this regard.

According to AGF Malami, “the management and control of the security sector is exclusively vested in the President by Section 218 (1) of the Constitution as the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces including the power to determine the operational use of the Armed Forces. An invitation that seeks to put the operational use of the Armed Forces to a public interrogation is indeed taking the constitutional rights of law making beyond bounds.”

I think I disagree with Malami. The House is a legitimate body of the representatives of the people of Nigeria. It has the constitutional power to summon the President. What I do not know is whether it would have been prudent, or wise, to interrogate security issues openly in a parliament that is at best a political battle ground.

I think Mr. President should honour the House of Reps’ invitation. However, if interrogated on security and use of Armed forces, he should decline comment. Buhari should not be encouraged to begin to behave like a PDP president. He should respect the House by honouring its invitation, but if questioned on specific issue of security, he should exercise discretion to discuss, or not to discuss, it openly in plenary.

That is as I see it.