OKONKWO: Buhari Is Arrogating Too Much Discretion To Himself

• President In Breach Of Constitution By Not Constituting Cabinet

President Buhari is yet to constitute the federal cabinet and says he is cleaning mess left by former administration, as well as running background checks on his possible appointees to ensure his fight against corruption does not suffer credibility breaches. What do you make out of the delay?
IT is a very feeble explanation. First of all they must thank President (Goodluck) Jonathan that he did not challenge the election at the tribunal. They had more than two months before taking office and he (the President) is now more than one month in office. Nigeria did not elect a sole administrator. The president is in breach of our constitution by not constituting a cabinet. In fact, doing a background check, is not a reason why he should stifle the constitution in the smooth operation of Federal Government. It shows that he does not actually appreciate the enormity of the responsibility of being the president of the country.

Nigeria cannot continue to wait; he has less than 48 months of administration and one month has gone. It shows that the political party that promoted his candidature does not have a shallow idea of how and who; even those that have enunciated, whichever policy they used in the campaign. That he is looking for men and women of integrity, I think President Buhari is arrogating to himself, too much discretion on who to bring in to his government.

There is no way he can comfortably sit in one place and run a check on every Nigerian, after all it was a political party that put him forward; the same political party has men and women they feel can power their policies so that they can deliver good governance.

Nigerians are waiting to see the people he would bring from the moon as ministers. There is no Attorney General of the Federation, no Minister of Finance or Foreign Affairs; unauthorised persons are signing documents meant for statutory officers. And it shows that the party is ill prepared for leadership and the enormity of responsibility that they have now found themselves in that they are failing in kick-starting the government. They will never use that as an excuse that they are cleaning the so-called mess, what mess did Jonathan leave? Jonathan ran a constitutional government. If he had run government outside the constitution, he can be brought to book. And (President) Buhari cannot do that without a cabinet period.

them not tease themselves that they have given Igbo a position by putting up Ike Ekweremadu as Deputy Senate President. I am challenging Ekweremadu that he has all the credentials to be President of that Senate if his party was in the majority, because they are looking for an arrowhead that can provide leadership, the same credential as a presidential candidate. I wonder why he should be celebrating that mediocrity. So, the issue of occupying the Deputy Senate President is not a strategic thinking, as far as I am concerned. I don’t wish to be advising the PDP, I am not their fan.