SENATE DENIES ALLEGED PLANS TO SHUTDOWN BUHARI’S GOVERNMENT…..describes report as “fake”
The Nigerian Senate is not planning to shutdown President Muhammadu Buhari’s government in 72-hours as allegedly reported by some online outlets.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi Sabi disclosed this in an exclusive telephone interview with TVC News.
“Let’s get it very clear, I am not irresponsible to make such a careless statement. There is no way either me or the Senate can make that kind of statement. It is just rubbish. We are in the period of fake news now and one has to become very careful. Responsible journalists should just ignore it.”, Sabi said.
The reports, described by Sabi as fake, had quoted him as speaking on behalf of the Senate President due to a letter said to have been written by Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, to the Senate Committee on the Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in North East where the latter said he would not appear before it because a case had been filed in court.
Senator Sabi was quoted as saying that because the SGF had gone to court to challenge his invitation, that implied that the legislature can equally go to court to stop the entire government headed by President Muhammadu Buhari from working.
It pointed to the fact that the refusal of the SGF to appear before the Senate came barely a few hours after the Customs Comptroller-General, Hameed Ali, had also declined to appear before the Senate claiming that it would be subjudice for him to return to the Senate in uniform since a legal practitioner had asked the Federal High Court, Abuja to restrain the National Assembly from compelling him to wear uniform in the performance of his duties.
But Sabi told TVC News that “we have never been on a collision with any arm of government. That there are areas of disagreement does not in any way amount to a fight or controversy.
“The essence of democracy is for everybody to say his own part. And in playing my part, if I disagree with what you are doing and I confront you, it doesn’t mean that I’m fighting you.”
When contacted, Special Adviser to the Senate President on Media, Yusuph Olaniyonu, also denied that his principal made the statement or directed anyone to make comments or issue such a statement on his behalf.
“We are unaware of such a statement. The information is fake and concocted to cast the Senate or its principal officers in bad light. Kindly disregard it.” Olaniyonu said in a telephone chat.
The Senate spokesman also challenged the authors of the fake news to provide evidence of the interview, where it was conducted and the media outfit that conducted such an interview.
“I never said anything like that. If I said anything like that, let them bring the tape of the interview. What I said yesterday, just like my colleagues also said at plenary, is that it is a bad trend for people to keep rushing to courts when invited as it portends a bad signal against democracy. That’s all I said,” Sabi emphasised.
Senator Abdullahi Sabi reiterated the independence of the legislature but reaffirmed that it would not allow mischief makers to compromise its relationship with other arms of government.
