A Professor of political science, Femi Otubanjo, on Thursday faulted senate’s call for resignation of the Comptroller-General (C-G) of Customs, Hameed Ali, saying that the senate went beyond its limit.
Otubanjo, who works with the National Open University of Nigeria, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
The senate on Wednesday called for Ali’s resignation following his refusal to appear before it in customs uniform.
Senators at a plenary flayed up when the clerk of the upper legislative chamber read a letter from the Attorney-General of the Federation and Chief Justice of Nigeria, Abubakar Malami, stating why Ali cannot appear before the senate in his uniform.
Otubanjo said: ”The senate is quarreling with Ali because he is defying them, but unfortunately, the senate, sometimes, wants to constitute itself as an executive arm of the government.
“They are not right to be giving orders to the executive like in the case of Ali; that is not the work of the senate. Its work as a legislature is to pass resolutions and bills.
“If they (senators) want to influence any policy by the executive, they need to pass a resolution and send it to the executive for implementation.
“You do not order an executive official to do what his principal, which is the presidency, has not asked him to do.’’
The political scientist said that the senate should send a resolution to the presidency expressing its grievances, rather than asking Ali to resign.
“It is not right because they did not appoint him and they cannot remove him,” he said.
He also urged the senate to be more sensitive to the plight of Nigerians by legislating laws that would move the country forward.
Otubanjo, however, said that Ali’s attitude toward the uniform issue was an insult to the democratic norms and convention of the paramilitary organisation.
“Since he has accepted to be the comptroller-general, he should forget his military traditions; we are in democracy. He should conform to the custom’s convention by putting on the uniform.
“He should stop giving the impression that his position is an extension of the presidency and not a part of the customs, ” Otubanjo said.
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