Posted on: 04:25 Thu, 23 Jun 2016



Federal lawmakers have cancelled
a dinner with President
Muhammadu Buhari, probably as a
result of the ongoing crisis in the
national assembly.

The development comes hours after
the caucus of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) in the red
chamber announced withdrawal of
its support for the president.

The charge of criminal conspiracy
and forgery brought against the
leadership of the eight senate by
the federal government is tearing
the executive and the legislative
arm of government apart.

Not long after Buhari returned to
the country at the end of his 13
days stay in the United Kingdom,
where he received medical
attention for ear infection, the
senate raised an alarm that the
federal government was allegedly
plotting to silence it and imprison
Senate President Bukola Saraki and
Ike Ekweremadu, his deputy.

In what seems to be a response to
the action of the government, the
senate, on Wednesday, suspended
the screening of ambassadorial
nominees, citing irregularities in
the process of selecting them.

A few hours later, a source
informed TheCable, that the
lawmakers had cancelled their
scheduled dinner with the
president.

Buhari hosted service chiefs to a
dinner on Monday, members of his
cabinet on Tuesday, and
Wednesday was supposed to be the
turn of members of the national
assembly.

“Due to the crisis in national
assembly, lawmakers have refused
to honour the break-of-fast dinner
with the president today,” the
source said.

“They have just cancelled it. He met
with ministers yesterday, today
was suppose to be with the national
assembly, tomorrow will be with
judiciary while Friday will be with
party chieftains, etc.”

However, another source told
TheCable that the dinner was
cancelled at the instance of the
president.