A leading pro-democracy and
civil Rights advocacy platform – HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA
(HURIWA) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to consider if he will require a
quick leave of absence to resolve the emerging brouhaha and altercation in the
presidential household before resuming to avoid undue distractions.
Alternatively, HUMAN RIGHTS
WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has suggested to President Muhammadu
Buhari to refer the intense disagreements between his Wife and Nigeria's first
lady Mrs. Aisha Buhari and Ms. Fatima the daughter of Mamman Daura his uncle
and influential power broker in the Presidency to the National Human Rights
commission (NHRC) for swift resolution so the altercation can abate.
Besides, the Rights group has
described as an avoidable political scandal, the heated verbal exchanges
between the first lady Mrs. Aisha Buhari and Fatima, the daughter of one of the
most powerful political forces behind president Buhari and his uncle Alhaji
Mamman Daura even as the Rights group warned that it will be unconstitutional
if official time and resources are deployed by the presidency to escalate a
family feud which may infringe on the sacred constitutional oath of office he
swore before assuming duty as the president of Nigeria. Besides, the Rights
group reminded President Muhammadu Buhari that Nigeria is currently contending
with massive societal, economic, security and environmental challenges
requiring total attention and concentration of the President and his team which
May not be properly attended to if family feuds wouldn't let him focus on
delivering the democracy dividends. "Mr. President must be aware that the
nation sleep walked into the global poverty capital under his watch only last
year overthrowing India which has a
population of over a billion people just as Nigeria with a statistically
fraudulent and disputed population of 200 million already has over 92 million
citizens who are absolutely poor. Insecurity and instability are twin social
evils that have threatened our existence and millions of Nigerians sleep with
one eye open, Nigeria can't afford to have a President whose attention is
divided by unnecessary domestic squabbles of the Women members of the immediate
and extended families."
HURIWA said the entire
scenarios of domestic squabbles now exported to the public space has
graphically painted Nigeria as a vassal state even when it is clear that
Nigeria is a constitutional democracy with principles of rule of law.
The Rights group said under
the extant constitution, it is unconstitutional for the holder of the office of
President to let his domestic issues stay in the way of the qualitative and
articulate pursuit and implementation of his job specifications just as these
sets of constitutional duties of the President does not include using official
time and resources to settle or escalate domestic misunderstanding which
ordinarily should have been resolved internally without making it or enabling
it to constitute a horrendous nuisance and global embarrassment to the Country.
In a statement by the national
coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the national media director Miss
Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA affirmed that going by a news report by a media house
bankrolled by the national leader of the
ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in which an official of the president’s
office was anonymously quoted as playing a role in the squabbles between Mamman Daura’s daughter and the first
lady dovetailing in the official specifically backing the first lady, it is
clear that the exchanges if not stopped forthwith could constitute a direct
violation of the constitutional oath of office by president Muhammadu Buhari
just as the Rights group said the president may consider taking few days break
from office to sort out the domestic issues to check further conflict of
interests.”
HURIWA specifically stated
thus: “The Nation newspaper had authoritatively reported that a Presidency
source on Monday faulted the recent release of a video by Mamman Daura’s
daughter, Fatima."
HURIWA citing the media report
stated that we were told that the Presidency source spoke about the video,
released in the wake of the rumor claiming President Muhammadu Buhari was going
to take a second wife last Friday, had shown part of the First Lady, Aisha
Buhari’s body while shouting on the need for the Dauras to leave an
accommodation in the Villa.
The Rights group said the
influential national newspaper owned by the National leader of All Progressives
Congress had told Nigerians that a Presidency source, who does not want her
name in prints, said that the video was shot over a year ago when the
President’s son, Yusuf, had power bike accident in Abuja.
Citing the same report penned
by a senior editor of the respected national newspaper the Rights recalled that
the newspaper quoted the Presidency source as stated that the accommodation
which brought about the heated disagreements was needed for the then
recuperating Yusuf, the eldest Son of President Muhammadu Buhari just as the
Source said the order for the Dauras to vacate the Villa accommodation, she
said, was approved by the President
She said: “By now the airwaves
are awash with Fatima Mamman Daura’s daughter consenting to the fact that she
indeed shot and leaked the now infamous video clip which showed the wife of the
President in a very angry mood."
HURIWA recalled the newspaper
report as stating that: "The incident happened over a year ago when the
wife of the President on the instructions of the President asked the Dauras to
vacate their living quarters inside the villa for a sick Yussuf Buhari, who was
recuperating after an accident. For this reason, the quarters were needed and
the Dauras were asked to move to another part of the Villa. Long before the
accident, Yusuf’s mother had requested in writing for the Dauras to vacate the
place because the building is officially designated for the biological children
of any serving President. The IG of police, DG DSS, NSA and the Vice President
who was the acting President, were all notified of this request. Despite this,
the Dauras deliberately refused to comply with the instructions of the security
agencies."
HURIWA said these statements
are weighty and confirms that the Nigerian Presidency is hobbled by seemingly
disturbing and lingering supremacy battles between family members of the first
family at the moment which does not augur well for the smooth running of
government just as HURIWA called for an immediate truce or a reference to the
National Human Rights commission of Nigeria
for a quick resolution or on the alternative Mr. President takes few
days off to resolve the domestic disputes himself as head of his family.
HURIWA reminded President
Muhammadu Buhari about his binding oath of office which he swore as follows:
"I, ………… do solemnly swear/affirm that I will be faithful and bear true
allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria; that as President of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria, I will discharge my duties to the best of my ability,
faithfully and in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria and the law, and always in the interest of the sovereignty, integrity,
solidarity, well-being and prosperity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; that
I will strive to preserve the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles
of State Policy contained in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria; that I will not allow my personal interest to influence my official
conduct or my official decisions; that I will to the best of my ability
preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria; that I will abide by the Code of Conduct contained in the Fifth
Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; that in all
circumstances, I will do right to all manner of people, according to law,
without fear or favour, affection or ill-will; that I will not directly or
indirectly communication or reveal to any person any matter which shall be
brought under my consideration or shall become known to me as President of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria, except as may be required for the due discharge of
my duties as President; and that I will devote myself to the service and
well-being of the people of Nigeria."
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