You’re Not A Democrat – Presidency Shades Obasanjo

The presidency says anyone calling for a Sovereign National Conference (SNC) as panacea to the security and other challenges bedeviling the nation is not a democrat.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, made this known in a television programme aired in Lagos on Sunday night.

According to him, President Muhammadu Buhari is open to ideas on how to resolve the lingering security challenges.

However, he said since the nation has a functioning National Assembly, setting up an SNC was tantamount to usurping the duties of the Assembly.

In a viral open letter to Buhari on Monday, July 15, former President Olusegun Obasanjo had called for a national conference to resolve the security and other challenges presently confronting the nation.

But Shehu said, “For somebody to sit in his sitting room to say we are doing nothing is rubbish. President Buhari is open to ideas, suggestions are welcome.

“We have a National Assembly. For someone to sit in the comfort of his home to call for a national conference, shows the person is not a democrat.”

Reacting to the president’s delay in naming ministers, Shehu said, “President Buhari is the head of the executive arm of the government. As long as the President is running the country well, there is a need to give him all the supports he needs.”