Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the House of Representatives have refused entities from the party’s governors to withdraw the invitation extended to President Muhammadu Buhari over the spate of insecurity in the country.
The APC governors had before meeting the lawmakers on Tuesday night attended the party’s mergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at the State House.
The governors, all of whom are members of the party’s NEC, made a case as to why Buhari should not honour the invitation by members of the House of Representatives to brief them on the state of insecurity in the country.
As part of the efforts to stop the president’s appearance before lawmakers, lthe APC governors met with their party members in the lower chamber to discuss the matter. The meeting lasted from Tuesday night into the early hours of Wednesday at the premises of the House of Representatives.
Sources at the meeting told Dateline Nigeria that the lawmakers have refused to accede to the demand of their governors, despite maiking frantic efforts to make them see the danger of allowing the president to appear before them and make revelations on security.
A source at the NEC meeting had informed Dateline Nigeria that the APC governors were of the view that the issue of security of the country should not be discussed publicly so as not to jeopardize the nation’s security internationally.
The APC governors, it was further learnt, were concerned that Buhari’s appearance before the lawmakers, who seem to be angry with the security situation around the country, may flare tempers, a development that could lead to hot exchanges.
“The (APC) governors are of the view that the president’s appearance before the lawmakers could lead to so many negatives, which should be avoided from onset. They feel that the lawmakers could embarrass the president during his presentation.
“They’re also of the view that a matter as sensitive as security shouldn’t be discussed publicly in order not to put the entire country in danger,” the source said.
Another source said with the way Members of Parliament (MPs) were going about the matter, they may heckle and boo the president during the presentation, which would not augur well for the administration’s image.
“All of them (APC governors) were vehement against it. They told the president emphatically that he should not honour the invitation of the lawmakers. That it may turn out to be one of the greatest low points of his administration,” said our second source.
It was gathered that the president kept mum after the APC governors made their position known, although he may have sided with them.
