- Senior Advocate of Nigeria Femi Falana said Nigerian Senate has no right to summon president or state governors
Falana said by virtue of Section 67 of the constitution it can only summon a minister when the affairs of his or her ministries are under consideration
- He also said the constitution has given the president the discretion to address the National Assembly either jointly or separately on any matter of national importance
Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, declared that Nigerian Senate does not have power whatsoever to order president Muhammadu Buhari to appear before the lawmakers, adding that it has no power to summon him as well as state governors.
Falana made this known on Thursday, May 10, when he appeared as a guest on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily.
NAIJ.com gathered that Falana who backed up his point by quoting Sections of the Constitution, said “the president or the governor of a state cannot be summoned by the National Assembly (NASS).
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“There is no such power given to NASS by the Constitution to summon everybody. It has given the president the discretion to address the National Assembly either jointly or separately on any matter of national importance.”
The senior lawyer also said: “The Senate didn’t get it right this time around. By virtue of Section 67 of the Constitution, the National Assembly or either chamber can summon a Minister when the affairs of his or her ministries are under consideration.
“The only other occasion where a public officer can be summoned by the National Assembly is when proceedings are ongoing to expose corruption (Section 88) and when a law is being debated either with a view to amending it or to have a new law entirely.”
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Speaking further, Falana stated that the lawmakers can, however, fix areas of the Constitution perceived as weak, rather than going beyond its limits as such actions can subject the institution to ridicule.
He added: “What can be done, a constitutional review is ongoing, you can deal with the identified gaps but don’t go outside the limit of your powers. When you do that, you ridicule the institution and that is what is going on.”
Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had reported that Femi Falana stated he would sue the federal government on Wednesday, November 15, over injuries he sustained after falling into a manhole.
The lawyer made his comments on Tuesday, November 14, at the National Stakeholders Summit on Whistleblowing in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
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Source: Naija.ng