$496M FOR WAR PLANES: Buhari’s aide faults NASS for complaining

An Aide to President Muhammadu Buhari has justified the action of President Muhammadu Buhari in spending $496 million for the purchase of military aircraft without the approval of the National Assembly.

Contrary to the impeachment threat by the National Assembly against Buhari for the action, his Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Ita Enang, said that his principal has powers to spend the money without the National Assembly approving it.

Enang who stated this in an interview on African Independent Television (AIT), said, “The law and the constitution recognise contingencies. And when we finish collating what is needed for the balance of the $1 billion, after $496 million, we will bring a supplementary budget before the legislature.”

On the call for the invocation of section 143 (which allows for a president to be removed from office if found guilty of gross misconduct), Enang argued, “He is not guilty of gross misconduct and the question of section 143 is not what is pending before the legislature.”

According to him, past administrations also spent money from the Excess Crude Account without the permission of the legislature.

“It is following due process. It is what I will call Internal Standard Proprietary Procedure in procurement in terms of security. The money has not even been appropriated.

“This government has come to clear and clean every misconduct and in the course of it, questions will arise as to every action and we are ready to justify them,” he said.

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Insisting that Buhari did no wrong, he said, “Nothing wrong has been done. Mr President acted in good faith. The executive, the judiciary and the legislature have what is called inherent powers, powers that inheres in your office, especially in cases of emergencies. The executive acted upon its inherent powers and this was a case of emergency.”

Like Enang, spokesman for Buhari Campaign Organisation, Festus Keyamo, had also on Sunday, when he spoke as a guest on Channels Television politics programme, said that Buhari acted under the doctrine of necessity, and that his spending of the money without approval of the National Assembly was in order.

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