Saraki’s Tweet which Sparked Serious Controversy over Service Chiefs

Saraki’s Tweet which Sparked Serious Controversy On About Buhari’s Appointment Of Service Chiefs

The Senate President Bukola Saraki sparked a very serious controversy on Monday when he published a controversial message on his twitter handle. The message generates controversy, after which Saraki’s media team tried to do a damage control by clarifying some facts, but this only provoked further negative reactions from Nigerians.

The Senate President’s stirred the controversy when he tweeted that, President Muhammadu Buhari did not require the approval of the Senate to nominate the country’s service chiefs. He stated that the appointment of the service chiefs was not the business of the senate. Saraki was only trying to react to the President’s statement that the newly appointed service chiefs and the National Security Adviser will only be functioning in acting capacity pending the Senate’s approval. He also stated the Senate only have the capacity to approve the appointments of heads of Federal Government Agencies and Ministers.

Saraki wrote in his tweets: “Appointment of service chiefs is an exclusive function of Mr. President. Senate can only approve ministerial, parastatals etc.” When the Senate President’s media team react to the comments generated by Saraki’s controversy tweet, they said most people misinterpreted Saraki’s message.

Here is the statement made by Saraki’s media team:

“The attention of the Media Office of the Senate President has been drawn to a story making the rounds to the effect that the Senate does not need to screen or confirm the new service chiefs appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari.

“However, we want to make it abundantly clear that based on inquiries made from the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, on whether the Senate was consulted before the appointment of the new service chiefs was announced, he had in response tweeted that the appointment of service chiefs is the exclusive function of the President as stipulated by the constitution.

“Let it be known that his comment is now being misinterpreted to say the Senate will neither screen nor confirm the new service chiefs. This is far from the truth.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Saraki has said his comment is without prejudice to the extant laws and court pronouncements on the issue and that the Senate will do the needful when the list of the new service chiefs is sent to it by Mr. President.”