The presidency says President Muhammadu Buhari did not inform the National Assembly of his 10-day private visit to the United Kingdom because he would only be away for a “short” period.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu disclosed this on Saturday, Sunday Punch reported.
Shehu said that the president would have informed the National Assembly if the visit would extend before 21 days as mandated by the 1999 Constitution.
He said that since the trip would not last up to that, it was unnecessary to inform the National Assembly.
Asked if Buhari informed the National Assembly of his foreign trip, Shehu said, “No, that is not necessary. The President can exercise authority from wherever he is as he is currently doing.
“This is a relatively short absence. If you check Section 145 (1) and (2) of the Constitution, you will see that the law is only infringed upon when such absence extends to 21 days.”