The Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, on Tuesday, reacted to allegation that the Presidency may have influenced impeachment moves against the Benue state governor, Samuel Ortom.
In his reaction, Adesina said President Buhari cannot stoop so low as to interfere in state affairs.
Although Buhari is currently attending an ECOWAS Summit in Lome, Togo, where issues of insecurity affecting the continent came on the front burner, his Media Aide took it upon himself to extricate the Presidency from the unfolding developments back home.
According to the Presidential spokesman, “Even while attending the ECOWAS/ECCAS Summit in Togo, strident attempts were being made to drag President Muhammadu Buhari into the unfolding drama between the executive and the legislature in Benue State.
“Statements have been issued by different interest groups, insinuating that the President may have a hand in the development in Benue.
“This is paranoia at its worst, coming from people who have wittingly positioned themselves against the clean-up of the country, and the way we do things. They prefer business as usual.
“President Buhari will never be part of any unconstitutional act, and any attempt to link him with the inglorious past, when minority number of lawmakers impeached governors, will not stick.
“It will simply be like water off the duck’s back. Those with open minds know this, but those who cavil would rather source everything untoward to the President.
“It is murky ground in which they are now marooned, as fallout of their resistance to change in the country.
“When it suits them, they preach separation of powers and true federalism, and in another breath, they call on the President to interfere brazenly in affairs at state level.
“President Buhari will always stand by all that is noble and fair, and will reject attempts to drag him into infamy. People who stoke fires by deliberate acts of omission or commission, and then summon the President to come and put it out will find that this President will be guided by the Constitution at all times, no matter the attempt to entangle him in unwarranted controversies”.
Recall that an impeachment attempt was made on the Benue state governor on Monday with only a handful of the state assembly members.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Governor of Imo state, Eze Madumere was successfully impeached by 19 out of about 38 state legislators.
Ortom, until recently of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had come under some political attacks since he recently defected to the opposition, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
