Former governor of Ogun State, Chief Segun Osoba has made it clear that the President has no constitutional powers to restructure Nigeria and to conduct referendum as being demanded by the promoters of Biafran Republic.The former governor, who is also a veteran journalist, told news men today, July 10, shortly after a private audience with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, that restructuring lies with National Assembly.
“The President is not a military President; he cannot change anything by decree. Sovereignty in Nigeria now is vested in the National Assembly. Those agitating for sovereign national conference must go through the National Assembly and unless the national assembly surrenders part of its powers by an Act, there can never be sovereign nation’s conference.
“Secondly, agitation for referendum; there must be an act of the national assembly to create that referendum. It’s not the President that would by fiat or by executive order, order for referendum. “It must go through the National Assembly and that is why I plead with our elders: Pa Edwin Clark, Pa Adebanjo, Professor Banji Akintoyin, all across Nigeria; they met the 8th Senate and they heard what that National Assembly has done in terms of the review of the constitution. They should come back and tell us!
“We cannot move forward until we recognize the importance and the powers vested in the National Assembly. And for restructuring, let us go through the legal route.”
Osoba, who is also former Daily TimesManaging Director, said that it was the All Progressives Congress (APC), that started the issue of restructuring.
“We in APC put devolution of power, true federalism in our manifesto and we have moved far from there to where a committee was set up, headed by the governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-Rufai. That committee has submitted its report; that report has been presented to us in the caucus and the president was there and he endorsed the outcome.
“I want Nigerians to please, give us time. I hope and pray that at the right time, the government or the party would send that report to National Assembly for debate.”
Osoba said that he had visited President Buhari to present him with an autobiography of his which he had put together, saying that part of the book was he (Buhari) riding on the train from the North to Ifo, Ogun State to spend his holiday when he was in Form One in 1946.
“So we have had some historical reminiscences not just now.”
