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 anout 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.”