The Senior Special Assistant to the president on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Ita Enang, has said that he did not apologize to the Senate on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari saying: “doing so would be terrible.”
Enang was reported to have apologized on behalf of Buhari for remarks made by Okoi Obono-Obla, a special assistant to the president on prosecution after appearing on behalf of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami in the Senate.
Enang said that he only pleaded with senators in his personal capacity, confirming that he actually convened a press conference at his residence to apologize personally to the Senate as a way of easing tensions between the presidency and the National Assembly.
“I am a presidential liaison officer and I apologize for the inability of the Attorney-General to appear before the Senate when he was invited.
“He received a letter of invitation after he had already planned an official trip.”
Enang said he had assured the senators that Malami would honour their invitation upon his return to the country, adding: “I said the attorney general will meet with the chairman of the Senate committee hearing the matter.”
Enang, a former senator, said that he apologized on behalf of Obono-Obla because he did not want the relationship between the lawmakers and President Buhari to get frostier.
“I apologize for his comments. From what I heard, he was not complimentary to the senate. We didn’t need to cause more trouble between the presidency and the Senate.”[myad]
