Why President didn’t attend APC peace meeting on NASS crisis

The Presidency has spoken out on why President Muhammadu Buhari was absent at an All Progressives Congress (APC) peace meeting he called to address the crisis caused by the party’s choice of National Assembly leaders.

Buhari failed to attend the Tuesday, June 9, meeting leading to speculations that he was in support of the emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki as Senate President.

However, in clarification of the issue, presidential media aide, Garba Shehu stated that Buhari was absent from the meeting because voting had already begun in the Senate before he could set out.

“A party needs to meet to organise itself and it can’t be taken for granted. Buhari could not have failed in wanting to meet his party members in order to convey an important message to them. And he has not allowed that chance because at the time when he was setting out to go, the National Assembly they had begun voting, hence the mission was aborted,” Shehu said on Saturday, June 13, 2015 during an interview on Sahara TV.

“The fact that he said he would work with the National Assembly (leadership) is consistent with his position as a principled democrat. It is a body recognised by law that is independent of his control. He cannot control them. They carried out a constitutional process and he will work with them,” he added.

Saraki defied the All Progressives Congress (APC) to contest the elections despite being expressly excluded with the choice of Senator Ahmed Lawan as the party’s sole candidate.

Buhari had said after the elections that he would have preferred if the party’s rules had been followed but that he was willing work with the new Assembly leaders either way.