Despite assertions of seeming belligerence,
Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, was, yesterday, reaching out to the
leadership of the National Assembly towards averting imminent paralysis of the
machinery of government.
As part of
the moves, the acting president was last night scheduled to meet with the
president of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, and Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, to thaw the ice.
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/07/osinbajo-saraki-move-avert-govt-shutdown/
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/07/osinbajo-saraki-move-avert-govt-shutdown/
The meeting,
Vanguard learned last night, was at the instance of the acting president who,
it was learned, is fighting to avert seeming conspiracies among some persons in
the National Assembly and the Presidency to derail his function as acting
president. Notable among the conspiracies is the plot by some in the
legislature to frustrate confirmations for presidential appointments and
approvals for external loans needed to facilitate key projects of the Federal
Government. The meeting, which was yet to take off at press time, Vanguard
learned, was upon pressures by some senators and members of the House of
Representatives to bring forward their annual recess as a way of teaching
Osinbajo a lesson. “If the National Assembly goes on recess without confirming
those nominees or the President getting National Assembly approval for those
strategic loans needed for key infrastructure projects, how can Osinbajo succeed?”
a source who spoke in confidence asked yesterday. The meeting between Osinbajo
and Saraki is in the wake of claims that a section of the alleged cabal in the
Presidency had teamed up with some in the National Assembly to cut Osinbajo to
size. Yesterday’s meeting, Vanguard learned, followed Thursday’s meeting
between the acting president and Saraki where preliminary efforts were said to
have been made towards reconciliation. However, the success of that meeting,
Vanguard learned, was nearly beclouded by the leakage of the secret meeting by
those sympathetic to the cabal in the presidency. “You can see that vested
interests do not want Osinbajo to succeed and the same forces were the ones who
leaked the meeting with the intention of embarrassing the two men,” a source
privy to the development said yesterday. The crisis between the two arms of
government came to a head last Tuesday when the Senate turned back Osinbajo’s
request for the confirmation of Mr. Lanre Gbajabiamila as Director-General of
the National Lottery Commission. Speaking on the reconciliation moves,
yesterday, a source said: “Osinbajo has perhaps realised his mistake and that
he should not have spoken on the Magu issue and now everyone is trying to use
that against him.” Alleging high-level conspiracy directed at the Osinbajo
presidency, the source asked why those with the ears of the cabal in the
presidency such as Senators Yerima and Karibu Marafa were very passionate about
the motion to stop reject further nominations from Osinbajo. “The fact is that
they want to make life difficult for the acting president who out of his own
lack of political tact voiced support for Femi Falana’s claim on Magu,” the
source said. There were also claims yesterday that claims attributed to
Osinbajo at the EFCC function in Kaduna where he was represented by Governor
Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State were not representative of the acting president.
Calls to El-Rufai’s special adviser on media, Mr. Muyiwa Adekeye, and a text
message were unheeded as at press time yesterday.
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/07/osinbajo-saraki-move-avert-govt-shutdown/
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/07/osinbajo-saraki-move-avert-govt-shutdown/
By Emmanuel
Aziken, Political Editor
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