Senate should’ve nullified Buhari’s vacation letter — Lawyer

An Abuja based lawyer, Hameed Ajibola Jimoh, has criticized the Senate for failing to nullify the letter of medical vacation transmitted to it by President Muhammadu Buhari.

In a statement yesterday, Jimoh said the suggestion in the letter that the vice president should “coordinate the activities of the government,” was unconstitutional, a fundamental error and a grave ambiguity that cannot be disregarded.”

He said the Senate was wrong not to have declared that aspect of the letter null and void and struck it out by virtue of Section 1 (1) and (3) of the Constitution.

“What the Senate ought to have done in such circumstance is to declare the content of the letter appointing the vice-president as to coordinate the activities of the government as null and void and of no effect and erase same with a pencil or declare it of no effect publicly,” he said.

But human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) told newsmen in Abuja yesterday that there was no legal infraction or ambiguity in the president’s letter to the Senate, which was brought pursuant to Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution.

He, however, agreed with the submission that even without a letter, after a period of 21 days, the vice president automatically assumed “acting powers.”

POSTED BY:OPUOMONI PRIYE

DATE:05/11/2017