Saraki’s tweet on service chiefs stirs controversy

ADEOLA OREDOLA

The controversial message posted on the Twitter handle of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on Monday night, sparked off a serious controversy which forced his media team to make clarifications that further provoked critical reactions from Nigerians on Tuesday.

The president of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, in his tweet, said President Muhammadu Buhari does not require the approval of the Senate to appoint the country’s service chiefs.

Saraki, in the tweet on his Twitter handle on Monday, specifically said it was not the business of the Senate to approve the appointment of service chiefs.

Saraki was reacting to President Muhammadu Buhari’s statement on Monday that the newly-appointed service chiefs would function in acting capacity pending the Senate approval.

He noted that the upper chamber could only approve appointment of ministers and heads of federal government agencies.

The Senate president said, “Appointment of service chiefs is an exclusive function of Mr. President. Senate can only approve ministerial, parastatals etc.”

But while reacting to the controversy generated by the statement, the media team of the Senate president said those who made comments on the social media over the issue, actually misinterpreted Saraki’s message.

The statement reads in part, “The attention of the Media Office of the Senate President has been drawn to a story making the rounds to the effect that the Senate does not need to screen or confirm the new service chiefs appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari.

“However, we want to make it abundantly clear that based on inquiries made to the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on whether the Senate was consulted before the appointment of new service chiefs was announced, he had in response tweeted that the appointment of service chiefs is the exclusive function of the president as stipulated by the constitution.

“Let it be known that his comment is now being misinterpreted to say the Senate will neither screen nor confirm the new service chiefs. This is far from the truth.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Saraki has said his comment is without prejudice to extant laws and court pronouncements on the issue and therefore that the Senate will do the needful when the list of the new service chiefs is sent to it by Mr. President.”

The statement further explained that Saraki in another tweet on Tuesday, said, “This is to clarify the earlier position which was not up-to-date and does not represent the position of the Senate president on the issue of screening of the newly appointed service chiefs.

“The Senate will perform its constitutional duty when it receives communication from the president on the appointments.”

Saraki’s first tweets, according to those who made comments on his Tweeter handle, was contrary to the pronouncement of a Federal High Court in Abuja, which on July 1, 2013, declared appointment of service chiefs by the president without approval of the National Assembly as unconstitutional and illegal.

The judgment was delivered by Justice Adamu Bello, who declared the appointments of the service chiefs without the National Assembly’s approval as null and void because they did not conform with Section 18 (1) and (2) of the Armed Forces Act, Cap. A20, Laws of the Federation.

The case, which was instituted by Lagos lawyer, Festus Keyamo, had challenged the practice of appointing military chiefs by the president without seeking the approval of the National Assembly.

Keyamo had argued in court that the appointments of service chiefs, which are political appointments, could not be different from other political appointments that require the confirmation of the National Assembly.

The lawyer listed such appointment to include, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justices of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, ministers, among others.

The judgment had not been appealed up till now.

It would be recalled that former President Goodluck Jonathan based on the judgment, sought and got the approval of the National Assembly in January 2014 when he appointed Alex Badeh as the Chief of Defence Staff; Kenneth Minimah as the Chief of Army Staff; Usman Jibrin as the Chief of Naval Staff; and Adesola Nunayon Amosu as the Chief of the Air Staff.