The Senate yesterday said Nigeria is drifting into a state of anarchy and despotism as a result of indiscriminate arrests and unconstitutional detention of citizens under questionable circumstances.
The Senate also said Nigeria’s democracy was being threatened by deliberate and sustained Executive assault on the Constitution as exemplified by recent enactment of “the controversial Executive Order No. 006.”
Consequently, the lawmakers summoned the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, Abubakar Malami, to appear before it in plenary and explain the constitutional basis for the Executive Order 6 and others issued by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Executive Order 006 permits security agencies to freeze the assets of persons standing trial without recourse to court order, but senators said it, alongside other Executive Orders, usurped legislative and judicial powers of the National Assembly and the judiciary as enshrined in the Constitution.
Adopting a motion by Sen David Umaru (APC, Niger), the Senate called on the Executive arm to desist from further violation of the sacred principle of separation of powers and adopt the rule of law as a guiding principle of government actions.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives yesterday passed a motion calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to suspend and discontinue the application of all executive orders, which the lawmakers said were replica of “military decrees.”
