An attempt by President Muhammadu Buhari to mend fences with the legislative arm of government claimed its first casualty last week with the suspension of Babachir Lawal, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Independent has learnt.

Though he was suspended alongside Ayo Oke, Director-General of Nigerian Intelligence Agency (NIA), sources at the National Assembly said the presidency only decided to announce the suspension together to lessen the focus on the suspended SGF.

It would be recalled that President Buhari had a fortnight ago set up a committee to resolve the rift between the executive and the legislature after the upper legislative chamber twice rejected Ibrahim Magu, acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and refused to screen 27 resident electoral commissioners (RECs) nominated by the president.

The committee chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has as members all ministers who were at one time federal legislators as well as the Senior Special Assistants to the President on National Assembly Matters, Ita Enang (Senate) and Samaila Kawu (House of Representatives).

The committee met behind closed doors after the Federal Executive Council meeting amidst concern over the strained relationship between the executive and the Senate in particular.

Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, who briefed newsmen after their meeting, said the executive was concerned over the relationship between the two arms of government.

The minister said the issue was discussed at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.

“The executive is also quite worried and quite concerned that the relationship between the two arms of government is not as smooth as it is supposed to be,” Mohammed said.

“In any democracy, it is a continuous struggle for balancing between the executive and the legislature because each of them is a creature of the law. We must strive at all times to ensure that there is that balance, amity and smooth relationship”, he said.



Senate Condition

According to a reliable source, one of the conditions given by the Senate is that President Buhari should uphold the resolution of the lawmakers calling for the removal and prosecution of the indicted SGF.

The lawmakers are particularly angry with Babachir for saying they are “talking balderdash” after asking him to resign for allegedly mismanaging funds meant for internally displaced persons (IDPS) following an investigation by a Senate panel.

While submitting its report to the Senate, the panel alleged that contracts were awarded to Babachir’s cronies and family members of top government officials.

The committee also said that Rholavision Engineering Limited, a company, which had Lawal as director, was awarded a consultancy contract.

According to the suspended SGF, “The Senate is talking balderdash; it has developed the habit of bringing him down syndrome,” he said.

“Nigerians have decided that we should destroy our best. We should all destroy the promising and best among us by bringing people down without a cause. This is just how I saw it.”

According to our source, “The presidency has fulfilled one of the conditions for peace which is the suspension, or what I may call a tacit removal of the SGF. No single man is greater than the National Assembly because they are the representatives of over 170 million Nigerians. For that Senate to ask a man to resign and for the man to say they are talking balderdash is the height of disrespect to the hallowed legislative chambers and the Senate is glad that the president has listened to the voice of reason by suspending the SGF from office”.



Senate Report

It would be recalled that President Buhari in a letter to the Senate through Senate President Bukola Saraki and read on the floor of the Senate had asked the lawmakers to make a U-turn on the call for Babachir Lawal’s sack.

According to the letter, Buhari maintained that the report on the SGF which was forwarded to him was lacking the substance that was capable of removing the SGF from office.

“Having gone through the report which emanated from the Senate, I discovered it was an interim one and particularly only three members out of nine signed the report.

“More so, Babachir Lawal was not invited by the Senate ad hoc committee which is in tandem with the principle of equity and fair hearing,” the president said.


Grouse With Sagay

Speaking further, he said, “Another committee that may go is the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-Corruption (PACAC) led by Prof. Itse Sagay. These committee members, especially its chairman, have been rubbishing the National Assembly and even gave the suspended SGF a clean bill of health. Even when the Senate summons its chairman, he said they have no powers to do so”

“If there will be an amicable working relationship between the legislative and executive arm of government, I don’t see how the Sagay committee will last long”, he said.