The presidency at the weekend took issue with critics of President Muhammadu Buhari over the virtual meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) that held last Thursday in the State House, Abuja.
It anchored the decision to use the Council Chambers of the State House for the political gathering on the fact that the meeting was virtual, and the venue had the facilities for social distancing.
Besides, it said as a legal occupant of the seat of power, there is no law that specifies where Buhari must hold any meeting.
But the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rejected the president’s explanation and urged him to accept his wrong.
The NEC meeting was attended by APC bigwigs, including governors and National Assembly leaders.
However, the decision to host the meeting at the venue drew criticisms from some Nigerians, who accused the president of taking advantage of his position to deploy national facilities for party affairs, a situation they viewed as an abuse of privilege.
But in a riposte, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said in a statement that the criticism was borne out of lack of understanding.
He added that no law specifies the type of meeting that should be held in the State House and which should not.
He said the meeting was virtual and the council chambers was found suitable for it because the conference hall at the party secretariat was small and would not be conducive for social distancing in view of the necessity to observe COVID-19 regulations.
“It is necessary that we put records in their correct perspective concerning the recent meeting held by the National Executive Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which has, unfortunately, drawn criticism due to lack of understanding.
“The stubborn opinion held by the critics of the administration is that President Muhammadu Buhari had called a political meeting in the “hallowed” chamber of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), as if there is a law that says the president is barred from holding meetings in certain sections of the vast Presidential Villa.
“Since the president lives in the Villa, no one can, legally speaking, choose or dictate to him where he can sit to hold meetings. So, what is wrong in the president presenting himself before a camera and a TV screen in a digital conference at a given location within the Villa?
“Just for the sake of the argument, this meeting, we say emphatically, was not convened at the Council Chamber. It was virtual, not a physical meeting.
“Why was it a virtual meeting? The idea was to observe social distancing in view of health concerns. Knowing how small the conference hall of the party is, social distancing would only have been observed in the breach,” he stated.
Shehu explained that the president was originally billed to address the meeting from any of his offices but eventually settled for the Council Chamber because the digital facilities for video conferencing are located there.
Admitting that political leaders such as governors and leaders of the National Assembly were present at the meeting, the statement said the larger group of people who participated at the meeting got connected through video calls.
It also said these were not normal times in view of the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging the country and hence, such decision to use the venue was therefore part of measures aimed at observing safety regulations.
He said: “President Buhari was billed to address the meeting from his office (just any of his offices) and chose the Council Chamber where the digital facilities are located, and other members, including the bulk of National Executive Committee members, state party leaders and members of the National Assembly were all linked using video conference calls. You saw them all on TV.
“Yes, it is true that governors and leaders of the National Assembly joined the president from the chamber from where he spoke. But the larger body of the members in attendance was all connected via video calls.
“Do not forget that these are not the normal times in view of the COVID-19 circumstances in which we have found ourselves. President Buhari placed health and safety above courtesy to the party by not going to its headquarters. In the end, a wise thing had been done because the president wants to curtail the spread of the Coronavirus disease.”
Source: THISDAY
