President Buhari In Big Trouble!!! APC accuses Buhari of impunity

Following the appointment of Dr. William Babatunde Fowler as the Executive Chairman of the Board of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Timi Frank has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of impunity.

Frank in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday, described the operations of FIRS by Fowler as illegal, adding that he has been operating without been confirmed by the Senate as stipulated by the constitution.

President Buhari on August 20, announced Fowler as the Acting Executive Chairman of the FIRS to take over Samuel Odugbesan, a former Coordinating Director at the agency, who was appointed to the position by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan in March this year.

The FIRS boss has since taken over leadership without confirmation by the National Assembly which is viewed as an act of Impunity and disrespect for the Constitution.

The APC Deputy Spokesman therefore called on the National Assembly to invoke the relevant sections of the constitution to deal with the ‘illegality’ otherwise, “it may be accused of acting as rubber stamp should it clear Fowler in the face of this gross violation of the constitution.”

He called on the FIRS boss to toe the path of honour and step down now as he assumed office without a corresponding consent and assent of the Senate, which portrays him as either ignorant of the law or acting with impunity.

“Let us look at the FIRS Act before one is accused of crying wolf where there is none. Section 3(2a) of the FIRS Establishment Act, 2007, states that: ‘The Executive Chairman of the Service is to be appointed by the President and subject to the confirmation of the Senate.’

Where does Fowler derive his authority with which he now presides over the Board of the FIRS? He has since assumed office and is carrying out the duties of the office. Do we let him go in view of the present financial quagmire in the country? I don’t think we should be swayed by arguments that we have gotten a czar to address our financial woes,” he said.

Buhari has been severally accused of being autocratic and taking decisions of appointments without considering the constitution. The president recently vowed to become the Minister of Petroleum Resources, tagging his critics mere “briefcase-carrying crooks” seeking to stampede him with various constitutional technicalities.

Frank argued that “The Senate would also be setting a bad precedent should it decide to overlook Fowler’s infractions and clear him still. It is wrong for an appointee, who is supposed to be confirmed by the Senate before appointment to assume office and then come for confirmation. In such situation, the man is already enjoying the pecks of office and the confirmation is being made to look like a fiat accompli.”

“What we are seeing concerning these appointments amount to an offence and gross breach of the constitution. I am aware that senators are peeved by this conduct and there is the thinking that some of them who have assumed office might have disqualified themselves.”

“The dream of every Nigerian, moving forward under the present administration of President Buhari, is to have a government and country where the rule of law is supreme. Buhari has done well by searching out Fowler, a tax administrator of repute, to oversee the activities of the Board of the FIRS.

“However, I don’t think the refusal to wait for confirmation by Fowler can be blamed on Buhari.

The onus lies on Fowler to retrace his steps now as he cannot claim not to know that his assumption of office on August 25, 2015, is in breach of the law. We cannot afford to break the laws at will only to administer the laws on citizens who may be in breach of the law in relation to taxes.” He said 

Source- Gene