1st September, 2022
Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani Kayode has asked the running mate to the presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to stop dabbling on roles the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC or his running mate, Kashim Shettima is likely to play in government if the are elected into office in 2023.
Fani-Kayode said this in a Facebook post while reacting to recent criticism of assertion by Shetimma that he will be charge of security while his principal will concentrate on revival of the economy if they are elected in 2023 by Okowa.
Shetimma made the assertion while speaking at the 2022 Annual Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA in Lagos.
But Okowa, who is also the governor of Delta State had in an interview criticized the assertion by Shetimma, claiming that such arrangement would amount to the Borno State Governor usurping a constitutional role solely vested in the president as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
But Fani-Kayode, in his Face post noted that the President as the Commander-in-Chief has the inherent powers to assign whatever role or sector he deems fit to his Vice to preside over at any point in time.
He noted that such arrangement was in existence between 1999 and 2003 when former President Olusegun Obasanjo gave Atiku who was deputy then control over the running and restoration of the economy.
“This did not mean that OBJ was no longer the Commander-in-Chief or in charge of the country but rather that he had enough faith and confidence in his number two to do a good job in that sector and consequently he assigned it to him to handle and report back to him as President”
“No-one complained about this arrangement at the time and neither did anyone question its constitutionality, legality or legitimacy,” the former Minister said.
He therefore argued that it will also be at the discretion of the incoming President to assign any role he deems fit to his number two man.
“If it is security or anything else then so be it.
“All is at the discretion of the incoming President and it is clear that the trust and respect that he has for Senator Shettima is unequivocal, unquestionable and unimpeachable.
“It is more than enough to warrant assigning any role that he deems fit to him, including security,” said Fani-Kayode.
He, however, advised Okowa to concentrate on resolving the ‘raging civil war’ in PDP rather that lecturing the APC presidential candidate and his running mate on what is constitutional.
“For the record, it is not for the Presidential or Vice Presidential candidate of the PDP to tell Asiwaju Tinubu or Shettima how to run their Government or try to lecture them on what is and what is not constitutional.
“They should stay in their lane, mind their business and instead concentrate on attempting to fix the degenerating and worsening rancour, rift and raging civil war that is tearing their party apart and preparing for what will be the mother of all electoral struggles and presidential campaigns for next years election.
“That should be Governor Okowa’s focus and not what role Senator Kashim Shettima will play when, by God’s grace, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and he are elected President and Vice President respectively,” he said.
Read Fani Kayode’s full post below
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state who is the Vice Presidential candidate of the PDP, ought to know that when Senator Kashim Shettima said he, as Vice President, would take charge of security whilst Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as President, would focus on the economy, he did not in any way mean or suggest that he would usurp the constitutional functions and duties of the incoming President and Commander-in-Chief.
What he meant was that he would be assigned that role and duty by the President and that he has the inherent experience and knowledge to handle such an assignment with courage and strength due to the vast experience he has gained over the years when facing the challenge of Boko Haram whilst he was Governor of Borno state.
It amazes me that Governor Okowa, who is ordinarily a level-headed, cerebal, decent, restrained and well-exposed man and who I have always had immense respect for, would consider this to be “unconstitutional” or “absurd”.
The truth is that it is perfectly constitutional and legitimate and it is in fact common practice when it comes to our system of Government.
Permit me to share a precedent.
When the presidential candidate of the PDP Atiku Abubakar and Okowa’s senior partner was Vice President during the first term of President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Government between 1999 and 2003, control over the running and restoration of the economy was assigned to him by OBJ whilst the President himself focused on foreign affairs and international relations.
This did not mean that OBJ was no longer the Commander-in-Chief or in charge of the country but rather that he had enough faith and confidence in his number two to do a good job in that sector and consequently he assigned it to him to handle and report back to him as President.
No-one complained about this arrangement at the time and neither did anyone question its constitutionality, legality or legitimacy.
The President is the Commander-in-Chief but he has the inherent powers, right, obligation and duty to assign whatever role or sector he deems fit to his Vice to preside over at any point in time.
If it is security or anything else then so be it.
All is at the discretion of the incoming President and it is clear that the trust and respect that he has for Senator Shettima is unequivocal, unquestionable and unimpeachable.
It is more than enough to warrant assigning any role that he deems fit to him, including security.
For the record, it is not for the Presidential or Vice Presidential candidate of the PDP to tell Asiwaju Tinubu or Shettima how to run their Government or try to lecture them on what is and what is not constitutional.
They should stay in their lane, mind their business and instead concentrate on attempting to fix the degenerating and worsening rancour, rift and raging civil war that is tearing their party apart and preparing for what will be the mother of all electoral struggles and presidential campaigns for next years election.
That should be Governor Okowa’s focus and not what role Senator Kashim Shettima will play when, by God’s grace, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and he are elected President and Vice President respectively.