Buhari's Health: National Assembly Moves To Invoke Constitution Against Him

On the worrying state of health of Nigeria's President, Muhammadu Buhari, some National Assembly members may attempt to call for the invocation of section 144 (1) of the 1999 Constitution aimed at ascertaining the health status of the lethargy, 74-year old leader, a report by The Guardian says.

 

As at last week, there was an attempt by the chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts, Mr. Kingsley Chinda, to present the issue under matters of urgent importance on the floor of the House of Representatives.

However, it was learnt that the initiative failed to see the light of the day because the Speaker of the House, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, was not favourably disposed to having such a weighty issue with grave political implications in the polity listed on the order paper of the lower legislative chamber.

Report says that key lawmakers of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may either re-present it as a motion or through the guise of a matter of privilege on either the floor of the Senate or the House of Representatives this week.

The sudden appearance of the ailing President Buhari during last Friday’s Juma’at prayer session where he freely greeted and exchanged banters with some top government functionaries may force the sponsors of the motion to be delayed for a while and then monitor the turn of events.

The draft of the proposed motion obtained exclusively by The Guardian specifically expressed concern over the president’s poor health status and the secrecy it has been subjected terming it “unsatisfactory and falls short of global practices.’’