The Presidency has advised Nigerian opinion leaders to exercise restraint in their choice of words to avoid heating up the polity and causing acrimony across the country.
Defending the President’s broadcast to the nation on Monday, the Presidency said it is a matter of great satisfaction that a majority of the citizens welcomed the broadcast.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, in a statement, said: “The President has no power to impose restructuring on the country by military diktat, adding that the National Assembly members are the elected representatives of the people who can handle agitations for restructuring and other constitutional changes. However, to critique the President for not responding to comments on restructuring the country is completely off the mark.”
He explained that the President was constitutionally bound to work with the National Assembly to deal with such complex issues.
Shehu reminded critics that “the President would not exercise arbitrary powers or bypass the legislature in taking such fundamental decisions.”
According to the Presidential spokesperson: “Changes don’t happen on a whim in a democracy, the ‘immediate effect’ military mentality cannot work under a democratic order and since the President has sworn to defend the constitution, he would remain faithful to that oath by working with the legislature in taking major decisions on the future of Nigeria’s federal system.”
He however, noted that, while Nigerian citizens are free to express themselves, they should exercise such liberty with restraint and a sense of responsibility.
He said calling President Buhari an enemy of Nigeria is in extreme bad taste, adding that nothing in the Nigerian leader’s service record would justify such scurrilous language.
“The country’s parliament is ready and willing to discuss all issues but the pundits are more interested in television and newspaper headlines. Threats don’t work in a democracy. Democracy requires planning and proper process. Issues are resolved through established processes, not by abuses, insults or irresponsible statements,” he said.
