The Presidency has denied that President Muhammadu Buhari is undermining the office of the Vice President, Yemi Psinbajo whole on his trip to London.
DAILY POST reported that, Buhari’s Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari presented the amended Deep Offshore Act to Buhari in London on Monday.
This did not go down well with some Nigerians, as they posed questions about the functions of the office of Vice President, Osinbajo.
According to them, Osinbajo should have signed the bill, rather than have Abba Kyari taking a trip to London.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Babajide Omoworare in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja said that Buhari’s action of signing the bill did not negate or undermine the office of the Vice President.
He also added that Buhari’s refusal to handover to Osinbajo to function as acting President before embarking on his foreign trip did not in anyway amount to an infringement of the Constitution.
He urged Nigerians to desist from insinuating that the Vice President’s office has been undermine by Buhari.
Omoworare clarified that traveling by President Buhari without transmitting a letter to the National Assembly, allowing Osinbajo to act on his behalf, did not breach the Constitution, urging Nigerians to desist from making such insinuation.
The statement reads: “Contrary to the claims by some individuals and groups, the President has not in any way undermined or relegated the office of the Vice President. He has no reason to do so.
“I don’t think there is any way or manner that the office of the Vice President has been relegated. The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria can work from anywhere he is in the world
“The only case where people could raise issues is when a President is ill and was unable to communicate his absence to the National Assembly.
“The only celebrated case was that of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who was ill and could not transmit any letter to the National Assembly.
“The National Assembly had to work round the situation by ensuring that the executive powers went to the Vice President
“The current scenario is different from the Yar’Adua case, Buhari did not offend the law whatsoever by not transferring executive powers to his deputy before going on the foreign trip.”
