The president of Nigeria appoints the ministers of all sectors in the country and is the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed forces of Nigeria. He literally has the EFCC, DSS, INEC and other federal bodies under his influence.
The President of Nigeria can be both President and Minister of Petroleum in the same government.
He can detain and arrest individuals at will, without due process.
The president of Nigeria can superintend over the Killing of innocent Nigerians on peaceful protest.
He can exclusively appoint his family members and religious henchmen into public offices, which is nepotism in Capital letters.
The president of Nigeria can freeze assets of opposition members standing trial at will, without due process.
Is the President of Nigeria not a god? What kind of constitution apportions such powers to a single individual?
Now, Buhari appoints his niece, Amina Zakari to chair INEC collation committee and Nigerians are wailing already. Truth is, Buhari can go ahead to Appoint himself as INEC Chairman and nothing will happen. After all he has been both President and Minister of Petroleum all the while. But What can you do? The 1999 Constitution gives Muhammadu Buhari the powers to Appoint INEC officials. Your INEC is not Independent! The commission should not have to depend on any arm of government for anything, not for appointments, not for funding! That 1999 Constitution is your major problem! It is a Prescription for tyranny and corruption.
Buhari is equally extending the tenure of the IG of Police, Ibrahim Idris. This Ibrahim Idris was the commissioner of police who supervised the controversial Kano presidential election of 2015, where President Muhammadu Buhari got nearly two million votes. After the elections, Idris was promoted to assistant Inspector general (AIG), and in a few months, he was named the acting inspector general of police to take over from Solomon Arase.
Muhammadu Buhari is gradually consolidating his plans to rig the 2019 elections. But ask yourself, What can you do? What can your Lawmakers do? Your National Assembly has for long passed a Vote of no confidence on this IG of Police, but Nothing was done. Now his tenure is up, but after 35 years of Service, Muhammadu cannot let him go. You know why. But you cannot do anything, your 1999 Constitution does not protect you from such blatant misuse of power.
Which Outspoken Senator has Buhari not humiliated with his excessive executive power?
Senator Melaye arrested
Senator Abaribe being recalled
Senator Kasimu being extradited
Senator Sani being harrassed
Senator Saraki being terrorised...
Judges being arrested, Journalists being detained, Governors being threatened. And trust me, with Muhammadu Buhari back for a second term these happenings will go off the roof.
It's six weeks to the elections. We can Get ready to vote in a new messiah under this same constitution and I can assure you the system will produce the worst in him. Or we can insist on better conditions as a people. In plain English,
1. Rewrite the Electoral Law to remove the powers and influences of the president
2. Restrict the federal police to state capitals and allow state Police right away
3. Remove the military from the streets and send them to the barracks
4. Separate the Judiciary from the presidency such that the president shall not nominate any judge any more, and the salaries of judges carried out by an Independent Department of Justice not responsible to the presidency
5. The federal police should be removed from the presidency and made independent answerable only to the Law.
We have a fundamental structure issue, and it is the constitution that begets the political structure of a nation. I will continue to insist that the 1999 Constitution is a prescription for Tyranny and corruption. We must renegotiate that document! Quickly!
We must #RestructureOrBurst.
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