President Muhammadu Buhari and Senate President, Mr. Bukola Saraki, publicly met for the first time on Saturday after last week's threat by the Senate to impeach the President. Both men met at the wedding ceremony of the daughter of Mr. Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
Last week, Mr. Matthew Urhoghide, the senator representing Edo State South Senatorial District, moved a motion to invoke Section 143 of the Constitution which starts off the procedure for impeaching the President or Vice President. Mr. Urhoghide moved the motion following the unapproved spending on weapon purchase from the US by the President.
The wedding reception of the SGF’s daughter, Amanda, held at the Presidential Villa.
Also in attendance were the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogara; Mr. Bola Tinubu, All Progressives Congress (APC) bigwig; and APC National Chairman, Mr. John Odigie-Oyegun.
The solemnization service held earlier at the Family Worship Centre, Abuja.
The bride’s father who addressed journalists after the reception, chaired by Mr. Dogara, said: “It is a pride of a father that at one point in time you will be giving out your children in marriage or receiving brides into your home. And that is what has precisely happened to us today as a family. I feel very happy and very thrilled about it.”
He advised the new couple to respect each other. Mr. Mustapha said the bride and the groom had received appropriate instructions during pre-marital classes, which will help them.
“Basically, they have received a lot of inductions and training when they went through their pre-marital classes. But as a father, talking out of experience, I’m married for 29 years now, I can assure you that, I wouldn’t say I have done badly. My candid advice to them is that they should respect each other, think highly of each other, remain friends and as much as possible let them make God the centrepiece of their home.
“If they have doubts about things happening around them, let them go back to the author of marriage Himself, who is God," he counselled.
Mr. Mustapha also used the opportunity of his daughter's wedding to make a case for national cohesion. The daughter's husband, Otelamaba Westwood, is not from Adawama State where the SGF hails from.
“I am married to somebody from a different state altogether. I come from Adamawa State, while my wife is from Osun State.
“So Amanda is not the first. It is a marriage of unity. Whenever I hear people talking about Nigeria breaking up, I just laugh. The foundations are deep. I have a brother-in-law who is Igbo, I have a brother-in-law who is Urhobo. So our home has always been a small Nigeria whenever we congregate," he said.[slideshow]59590[/slideshow]