The Senate has said it will persuade President Muhammadu Buhari to change his position on firing underperforming service chiefs.
Earlier in July, the upper legislative chamber passed a resolution calling on the service chiefs to “step aside” over their poor handling of the insurgency in the north-eastern part of the country.
However, in response to the resolution, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the power to remove service chiefs lies solely in the hands of the president.
In an interview with PUNCH, Ajibola Basiru, senate spokesman, said although the resolution is advisory, it represents the views of Nigerians who elected them into office.
“We, however, still want to persuade the President to consider our resolution. The Presidency has said it is aware of our resolution and has pledged to look into it,” Basiru said.
“The presidency said it is not legally bound to carry out [our] resolution because it is the prerogative of the President to remove service chiefs.
“Our resolutions are just persuasive authority coming from elective representatives of Nigerians in the national assembly.
“It is not a law. It is advisory and persuasive. The response of the presidency is the correct position of law and I agree.
“Due to the principle of separation of power, we cannot compel the president to sack the service chiefs.
“We only responded to the feelings of Nigerians by asking the president to reorganise them [service chiefs] but he is not legally bound to do so.”
Meanwhile, Gabriel Olonisakin, chief of defence staff; Tukur Buratai, chief of army staff; Sadique Abubakar, chief of air staff, and Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, chief of naval staff, have all passed the retirement threshold.
