The No Alternative To Buhari-Osinbajo 2019 (NATBO 2019), a polictical campaign group has expressed displeasure over the attitude of opposition lawmaker who jeered at the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria during the budget presentation.
This was coming even as a comedian known for mimicking President Muhammadu Buhari in an interview he granted in one of his comedies said, “Number one is that I have to correct you; they are not honourable members, they are horrible members. this is the problem when people elect irresponsible people.
“And to some extent I will say most of them are not actually elected. This is what happened when you begin to have godfatherism in politics. That is why I am against imposing a candidate on the people. Somebody who people do not want, you don’t impose him because, most of these people that being imposed on people are ….of these retired looters.
“But I think it calls for attention. People should be aware of the kind of people they are electing power. These are kind of people who make laws. You make law for other citizens to obey and follow but you don’t obey the law. I am in the National Assembly for an official assignment not on my own because if it is on my own, you will never see me there. And I went for an official assignment and then, that is the way the responded.
“Few of them, out of about four hundred and something, the people making that noise, I think they are not more than ten or fifteen, which we are aware that they are from the opposition.”
Asked if the Buhari-mimic comedian what his take was on the honourables saying “it’s a lied, it’s a lie”, he interjected: “Point of correction: Horrible Members not Honourable Member”.
He then continued: “It’s not surprising. It’s clear where they are coming from. Number one is that they have no good home training and I wonder what happens to their children. At my age, I’m my age, I’m talking and you are raising your voice and saying it’s a lie. It’s very obvious, if at my age you can raise your voice and say that while I am delivering my speech, only God knows what happens at home.”
On his take on his party members who also raised voices to hail him, the Buhari-mimic comedian has said they saved the day by doing the needful.
“My party members are supporters. I cannot say what they did was interruption. They were applauding. In fact I must say they saved the day from those Horrible Members.”
The anchor said, “Honourable Members Your Excellency” and he interject: “Horrible! From today, those opposition members are horrible people. With the kind of thing they did yesterday, they are not Honourable Members; they are Horrible Members. They are the problem of this country,” he said.
In a statement issued ‘No Alternative To Buhari-Osinbajo 2019’ (NATBO 2019), on Friday in Abuja, National Coordinator of the Group, Vincent Uba, described the action of the lawmakers as not befitting of persons who are supposed to be honourable, Buhari presents 2019 budget He said that the jeering made the lawmakers seem like they were kindergartens, stressing that it was an embarrassment to the legislative arm and to the nation.
“We view the action of the lawmakers as if they were kindergartens, exhibiting political rascality and gangsterism capable of smearing the image, reputation and credibility of Nigeria that have continued to rise in the international community since the current administration assumed office.
“In as much as democracy bestows freedom of expression on the citizenry, that freedom is not absolute to the level of embarrassing the Nigerian nation in an attempt to get at the sitting President because of his endearing popularity before the electorate in the run-up to the presidential election in a few weeks.
“Despite the vexatious attacks and obvious acts of frustration that the national assembly has meted out on President Buhari since he assumed office three and a half years ago, he has grown thick-skin to allow democratic peace to reign.
“It is expected that the distinguished and honourable members of the hallowed chambers would have been above board on such an suspicious occasion of budget presentation by the president,” he said.
The group wondered why the lawmakers at all went about with the titles: ‘Distinguished and Honourable’, when they could not behave in manners that befit those titles.
Uba said that the President since his election had not meddled with the activity of the Legislative arm and as such did not understand why some lawmakers would stoop so low as to display these recalcitrant acts against a respected and disciplined icon of the nation.
“Ironically, these opposition law makers are campaigning to come back in few weeks to drag us back to the days of throwing chairs and flexing muscles in the chambers.
“We thank President Buhari, who in his characteristic manner, handled the situation with maturity and calmness, an indication that he is truly an elder statesman and father of the nation,” the statement read.
