Abuja Based Politician, Umar Ardo, Accuses Buhari of Sit-Tight Agenda

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An Abuja based Social commentator cum politician Dr Umar Ardo has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of being desperate to remain in power by all means considering his recent actions.  Ardo in a statement made available to Global Excellence, said the decision to change the nation’s Democracy Day and the conferment of National Honours of GCFR posthumously on  late MKO Abiola and Ambassador  Babagana Kingibe GCON. Ardo, a former adviser to former vice president Atiku Abubakar, Umar Ardo, also threatened to sue President Buhari if he confers the titleof GCFR on late MKO Abiola. Ardo in a statement released today, said president Buhari has no power to confer national honours on anyone without first seeking for and obtaining the approval of the National Council of State.

 

According to Ardo, Buhari, him done having realized that he has lost public support across the country resultant from his  alleged dismal performance , poor handling of issues affecting the ruling party, the APC, the NASS, the Judiciary and the  key stakeholders in the Nigeria project. He particularly mentioned the Senate President, the Speaker, former presidents Obasanjo and Babangida as being among those who fall into this category.

Ardo who also faulted the approach adopted by the president submitted that he lacks the power to unilaterally take such decision. ‘The President’s action was  legally and morally wrong. Legally, the president has no powers to confer National Honours on anyone without the deliberation and the advice of the National Council of States. The Third Schedule of the Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) at Section 6(a)iii confers on the NCS the powers to advise the president on the award of national honours. The fact is that the NCS didn’t meet to deliberate and advise the president before acting on the issue.

The National Public Holidays Act has  also listed 29th of  May as a National Holiday and  the country’s Democracy Day which means that the president can only change the Democracy Day if the Act is duly amended , however, to the best of my knowledge the  Act referred to  has not been amended. Therefore the president’s pronouncement is unlawful and of no effect in the eyes of the law,” he said.

 

The president’s action according to  Ardo  has  further  confirmed that  the president is a no-respecter of due process of law and constitutionalism, it will also in his opinion be wrong for the president  to honour Babagana Kingibe who had abandoned Chief Abiola and the June 12 mandate  by taking a ministerial appointment  under late General Sanni Abacha, it will thus be  morally repugnant to honour him for such an condemnable act. He also accused the president of being a latter day convert of June 12 crusade. “June 12 had never featured in Buhari’s politics.

He worked with General Sanni Abacha who incarcerated Abiola and denied the actualization of the mandate and he had never for once raised the issue of June 12. In his electioneering campaigns in 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015, June 12 was never in Buhari’s political lexicon. For 3 years as president, he never uttered the phrase June 12. Even last week when he addressed the nation on May 29, June 12 was not mentioned. So how come all of a sudden, like a bolt out of the blue, June 12 became the new political darling of the president? He asked. The president is according to Ardo playing the political script of Babagana Kingibe and his kinsman, the COS to the president who  are scheming a succession.

 

“President Buhari has realized that he has lost the support of the Nigerian people, particularly in the Southwest, and so he was tricked into making this palliative in the vein hope of reganering support to his fledging presidency cognizant that he is at  war with IBB who annulled the June 12 election and OBJ who was the main beneficiary of the resolution of the June 12 imbroglio, he is made to believe that with this move he would regain his support in the Southwest at the same time rubbish the two former presidents’ he said.

 

In another statement, Ardo has threatened to sue President Buhari should he fail to recourse to the constitution before conferring the national awards on both MKO Abiola and Chief Gani Fawehinmi.

In Ardo’s words: “Pursuant to the powers of the Council of State in section 6(a)(iii) of Part 1 to the Third Schedule of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) to advise the president on the matter of awarding National Honours, I call on President Mohammadu Buhari to immediately convene a meeting of the National Council of State to deliberate and advise him on his decision to award National Honours to the Late Chief MKO Abiola, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe and Chief Gani Fawehinmi before performing the planned investiture ceremony on Tuesday, this is simply to comply with due process of law.

“Driven by the need to determine whether in the president’s decision to confer the said national awards constitutional due process of law had been followed, I telephoned and asked a former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and a serving Member of the Council whether to the best of his knowledge the issue had at any time been raised in any of the meetings of the Council of State and the advice of the said Council sought and obtained, he informed me and I verily believe him that it was never ever raised nor the advice of the Council ever sought or obtained.

“Therefore to go ahead and perform the investiture ceremony as planned is to indulge in flagrant illegality.”

He former adviser argued that: “Having campaigned on, sworn-in and is on oath to govern this country in accordance with the provisions of the constitution and due process of law and to defend and protect the said constitution, the president cannot confer national awards on the Late Chief MKO Abiola, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe and Chief Gani Fawehinmi or anyone else without subjecting his decision to the advice of the Council of State as stipulated in the constitution.

“To do so is a breach not only of the constitution but also of the oath sworn to by the president and that is unacceptable.”

“Consequently, in pursuit of my civil right and obligation as a citizen that I am governed by the provisions of the Constitution, I will institute a court action demanding compliance with the provisions of the constitution in the award of the said National Honours if the government goes ahead with the investiture ceremony without abiding by the due process of law.”

Umar Ardo explained that: “It is important, however, to state here that I have absolutely no objection to the president conferring such national honours to Late Chief MKO Abiola and Chief Gani Fawehinmi, and, indeed, that they richly deserve such awards and much more, but it is only right to do the right thing rightly.

“My current call and possible co

Umar Ardo

urt action is solely motivated by the obligation to enforce the rule of law and constitutionalism in the process of governing this country.”

-Akinlolu Abayomi