From Fred Itua, Abuja

The Senate, yesterday, came in strong defence of President Muhammadu Buhari and maintained he has not bridged any section of the constitution by extending his medical vacation period in the United Kingdom (UK).

President Buhari is currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed location in the UK. He was initially billed to return to Nigeria last Sunday, but deferred it to a yet-to-be announced date. The president had, on January 18 written to the Senate and requested for a 10-day working leave and got the lawmaker’s approval.

Spokesman of the Senate, Abdullahi Sabi, who briefed Senate House correspondents yesterday, said since Buhari has written a new letter to lawmakers, informing them of his leave extension, there was nothing unusual about it.

“As you are aware, the Senate suspended plenary to carry out one of the most important duties, which is the interaction with the MDAs on the 2017 budget. You will recall that before we suspended plenary, we received a letter from Mr President, which was dated January 18, 2017, where he informed the Senators that he was proceeding on 10 days vacation. In the letter, he stated very clearly, that the Vice President will take charge of the running of the country. This is a normal thing. Now, we are in receipt of the second letter from Mr President, where he informed the senate that he is extending his vacation, and this arose because, in the first letter, he informed us that he would use the opportunity to see his doctors,” he said.

“In this second letter, he informed the Senate about extending his vacation because, in the cause of that routine medical checkup, there were still some tests his doctors still wanted to run, so, he is extending his stay.”

Senator Sabi said Buhari acted within the constitution, insisting that “it is his prerogative to do so.”

“The President did not say indefinite, because indefinite is taking the matter out of context. But then, he said he was extending it beyond the 10 days he had asked for, and because the tests to be carried out ‘are not in his hand’, he is not giving us a date.”

“I am not sure if there is any provision giving specific date for the leave of Mr President; at least, not to my knowledge. This is not the first letter Mr President will be transmitting to us. Are you saying that if we received a letter from Mr President, and we say we received a letter, we do not know what we are saying?”

He also revealed that the Senate will not recall members over the president’s health.

“There is no emergency for us to say we are suspending the ongoing budget defence to recall our people. When we resume, all communications that came in will be taken. There is no emergency here because he has done what he is constitutionally mandated to do; to transmit a letter to us.

“Let me tell you the letter was received by the Senate President and I was briefed today (yesterday). As at today, the letter is in the hands of the Senate President,” he said.

Recall that in December 2009, at the peak of late President Musa Yar’Adua’s health controversy, Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu maintained that the president “could well spend one year or more abroad recovering his health as there was no constitutional limitation on his absence from the country.”

“The Constitution did not make provision for how long a president can stay out of the country before he would lose his job. There is no such provision in our constitution. So, if he spends one year abroad, of course, you have a vice president who will be acting in his place.

“But I don’t think there is anything for any person to worry about, and that is why it is good to always create a system,” Ekweremadu had noted.

http://sunnewsonline.com/medical-vacation-senate-defends-buhari/

Nigerian Senate should demand to know the true medical state of president Buhari. It is our right to know as a people. FG should please stop this umaru shenanigans. Why is it that such news and information are held surreptitious. In a sane country, the FG spokesman would have had rounds of press conferences to assure Nigerians and release the true state of the president's health. We demand to know. He is our president.

Nigerians have super special capacity for frivolities. In fact, we are a special people who don't know when to ask the right questions and when to act the right way.

Each time this president had needed to go on leave, he always made sure he did the right thing constitutionally by writing to the Senate to inform them of ceding power to his vice.

How this qualifies to what obtained during Yar'Adua is beyond any reasonably sane person. Yar'Adua did not officially cede power to his then vice GEJ and that created a vacuum. In this current situation, there is no vacuum at all.

Also, Yar'Adua was flown out in secrecy and later reported incapacitated. There is no a single indication that PMB is incapacitated other than he's seeing his doctors for some medical conditions. When has having medical issues become a reason/ground to impeach a president or call for his resignation? Is there anyone on this forum who is free of any medical issues?

Wailing with sense shouldn't be difficult, I think.

As far as Osinbajo is Acting actively as a president, what else did Nigerian want again? Some just want to hear that the president is dead...That's so ridiculous!

Wish you speedy recovery Sai Baba.

LET US KNOW IF HE IS DEATH OR ALIVE STOP HIDING HIS CORPS THAT'S THE TRUTH.

His corps?

axeman2:
LET US KNOW IF HE IS DEATH OR ALIVE STOP HIDING HIS CORPS THAT'S THE TRUTH.

Tani elesinsin fegbe tele...bikose elegbo

Baba did not go against the constitution

Enemies of the state please stay clear

God bless muhammadu Buhari

God bless federal republic of Nigeria

oluemmakay:
Tani elesinsin fegbe tele...bikose elegbo

The traditional council of wailers are here too

axeman2:
LET US KNOW IF HE IS DEATH OR ALIVE STOP HIDING HIS CORPS THAT'S THE TRUTH.

Realignment and balancing of the gearbox Wil do magic

Try it

All we are saying . . .

okay,let him die there nah...sebi nah ag. president we vote.

Nogodye:
As far as Osinbajo is Acting actively as a president, what else did Nigerian want again? Some just want to hear that the president is dead...That's so ridiculous!

I personally want to hear that the president is dead. The country is better off without him.

Let's vote... Like if you want him dead share if you don't

lilfreezy:


I personally want to hear that the president is dead. The country is better off without him.

Let's vote... Like if you want him dead share if you don't

How can you wish another's man dead...it sound irritating now

DropShot:
Nigerians have super special capacity for frivolities. In fact, we are a special people who don't know when to ask the right questions and when to act the right way.

Each time this president had needed to go on leave, he always made sure he did the right thing constitutionally by writing to the Senate to inform them of ceding power to his vice.

How this qualifies to what obtained during Yar'Adua is beyond any reasonably sane person. Yar'Adua did not officially cede power to his then vice GEJ and that created a vacuum. In this current situation, there is no vacuum at all.

Also, Yar'Adua was flown out in secrecy and later reported incapacitated. There is no a single indication that PMB is incapacitated other than he's seeing his doctors for some medical conditions. When has having medical issues become a reason/ground to impeach a president or call for his resignation? Is there anyone on this forum who is free of any medical issues?

Wailing with sense shouldn't be difficult, I think.

Good points. But my main grouse has been; why must he be flown abroad? Whatever happened to the Aso Rock clinic or hospital they spend billions on every year? These were some of the reasons we threw out that incompetent party that was PDP. Why are we having the same exprience under Baba?

This isnt right.

sarrki:



Realignment and balancing of the gearbox Wil do magic

Try it

Recall that in December 2009, at the peak of late President Musa Yar’Adua’s health controversy, Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu maintained that the president “could well spend one year or more abroad recovering his health as there was no constitutional limitation on his absence from the country.”

“The Constitution did not make provision for how long a president can stay out of the country before he would lose his job. There is no such provision in our constitution. So, if he spends one year abroad, of course, you have a vice president who will be acting in his place.

“But I don’t think there is anything for any person to worry about, and that is why it is good to always create a system,” Ekweremadu had noted.

See as beerfraudian from the evil forest is reasoning .... like a callous ape and his zoopob brothers are too stewpid to even know the position of their brother in stewpidity during the Ya adua saga..

Recall that in December 2009, at the peak of late President Musa Yar’Adua’s health controversy, Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu maintained that the president “could well spend one year or more abroad recovering his health as there was no constitutional limitation on his absence from the country.”

“The Constitution did not make provision for how long a president can stay out of the country before he would lose his job. There is no such provision in our constitution. So, if he spends one year abroad, of course, you have a vice president who will be acting in his place.

“But I don’t think there is anything for any person to worry about, and that is why it is good to always create a system,” Ekweremadu had noted

Patiently waiting for what this Shrek look-alike would say today.