Foreign trip: Buhari did not relegate Osinbajo, says aide

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Babajide Omoworare, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari did not relegate Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo by travelling without transmitting a letter to the National Assembly to empower the VP to act on his behalf.
Omoworare stated this while briefing news men in Abuja on Wednesday.
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole had on Tuesday said that the President can rule from anywhere.
Buhari had on November 2, 2019, embarked on a visit to London.
He is expected to return to Nigeria on  November 17.
Omoworare said that contrary to agitations by some individuals and groups, the President had 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 Presidential aide insisted that the only case where people could raise issues was when a President was ill and was unable to transmit 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 executive powers go to the Vice President,” Omoworare said.
He insisted that the present circumstance was different from the Yar’Adua era and that Buhari did not breach any law by not transmitting a letter to the National Assembly to enable the VP exercise executive powers during his present private trip to London.
On his part, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives), Umar El-Yakub, said that Buhari was committed to transparency, accountability and prevention of revenue leakages in government.
On whether a reversion to the January to December budget cycle alone could  bring the much desired development of the country, El-Yakub said “It is not the cycle that will make the budget work.
“But obviously it is ensuring that there is timely releases and timely execution of projects which a January to December budget cycle provides.
“I have also mentioned the fact that part of the revenue that was drawn that goes into this budget and the finance has captured some of the revenues that we expect.
“The President gave directive that N600 billion be released so as to make the 40 per cent implementation of the capital budget.
“The Minister of Finance has disbursed this money and he is disbursing this money. The budget will work because it affords us proper planning,” he said.