By Baron Ike
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has assured Nigerians that relations between the country’s three arms of government, particularly the Executive and the Legislature is healthy and strong.
The clarification was done on Wednesday, November 16 by the national chairman of the APC, John Odigie-Oyegun in a statement he personally signed.
The APC was reacting to a statement credited to a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday, November 15, suggesting a rift between the executive and legislature following the Senate’s return of the list of non-career ambassadors to the presidency for review.
Oyegun said the Senate, in the adopted report of its Committee on Foreign Affairs stated on Tuesday that the decision to return the list followed petitions received on the nominations and went ahead to propose that the presidency review the ambassadorial list.
Oyegun said attempts by the PDP to give the Senate action a political coloration and other negative interpretations are unnecessary and misleading.
He said President Muhammadu Buhari is a democrat and does not subscribe to the idea of “controlling” the National Assembly as was the practice with the PDP during its 16-year misrule of the country.
“Respect for the principle of the Rule of Law and the constitutional provisions of Separation of Power between the three arms of government is a best practice and also healthy for our democracy. The powers and duties of the three arms of government are clearly spelt out in the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and President Muhammadu Buhari respects them,” Oyegun said.