The leader of Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Chief Edwin Clark, has faulted President Muhammadu Buhari’s inability to transmit power to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo before leaving for London, United Kingdom, for his routine medical check-up, describing his action as “illegal and unconstitutional.”
The elder statesman stated this in a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday.
“The Constitution, Section 145 is very clear, simple. There is no issue of 21 days and the president cannot import into the constitution what is not there.
“What Section 145 says is that the president shall transmit to the National Assembly, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, whenever he will be away on medical vacation.
“And in his absence, the constitution empowers the vice president to act as the president. And the word shall is used there. Where does Mr. President get that one from? That one does not exist, except that’s another constitution. I am a lawyer,” he said.
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Clark asked what the president was afraid of in handing over to his deputy who proved his competence while he acted as President in 2017, when Buhari was out of the country for over 100 days.
Quest Times understands that President Buhari has so far spent over 200 days out of the country on medical vacation, since his ascent into office in 2015.