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Some senators supporting Buhari blindly —Sen Abaribe

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Senator-Eyinnaya-Abaribe

The Senator representing Abia South in the National Assembly, Eyinnaya Abaribe, has explained why his bill seeking the establishment of an Armed Forces Service Commission, which caused an uproar in the Senate, was rejected.

He lamented that some of his colleagues have a default position on anything concerning President Muhamamdu Buhari, and that they would not even take a look at a bill they feel affects the president in anyway, but simply vote against it.

The bill was opposed by APC senators like Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, Abdullahi Adamu, Adamu Aliero, and Mohammed Bulkachuwa, while PDP senators like Emmanuel Bwacha, Chukwuka Utazi, and James Manager supported it.

While the supporters of the bill said it was to make a constitutional provision for the National Assembly to create the Armed Forces Service Commission, APC senators argued that the bill was targeted at whittling down the powers of the President.

However, speaking In an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today, on Wednesday, Abaribe said he was not considering ‘altering’ the bill but intends to present it again.

Read also: Sen Abaribe blames Buhari for increase in herdsmen attacks, escalating insecurity

“People didn’t understand what that bill is all about; it is a bill that is incumbent upon us as the National Assembly to pass because it is embedded in section 219 of the constitution.

“And it is a very simple and straightforward bill, what happened that day was that we have among some of my colleagues a default position, every little thing that you say, they say oh, he is against President Buhari. Oh okay, let us say no, without looking at the content.

“And all they thought was that we wanted to whittle down the powers of President Buhari and that is not what the bill is all about. All that the bill was about was to let us do what is in the constitution.”

Citing the constitution, he said the bill talks about three specific sections of 217, 218, and 219.

Meanwhile, Abaribe said the bill seeks to establish the Armed Forces Service Commission to ensure the composition/appointment of Service Chiefs of the Armed Forces of the Federation reflected the Federal Character of Nigeria in the manner prescribed in Section 217 (3) of the 1999 Constitution.

He agreed there was a perceived lopsidedness in the appointment of service chiefs and other security agencies by President Buhari, and affirmed that he intended to re-present the bill, noting that it was the only reason he stood it down.

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