Controversies Over Buhari's Withdrawal Of Funds From ECA Political, Says Keyamo

Barrister Festus Keyamo has described as ‘political’ the ongoing controversies over President Muhammadu Buhari’s withdrawal of $496 million from the national treasury for the purchase of fighter jets without the approval of the National Assembly.

Keyamo who has just been appointed the director of strategic communications for the Buhari’s campaign organization said the president had to quickly pay money for the aircraft so as to meet the deadline given by the United States government.

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He also argued that while all the past presidents of the country have spent from the Excess Crude Account without reference to the National Assembly, the President met with the National Economic Council, NEC,  which members include all the governors of the 36 states of the federation.

He said that it was the PDP governors who were not present at the meeting, who were playing politics with the decision of the president.

‘There is something that is called in law the doctrine of necessity, the doctrine of necessity is wide enough to accommodate all the instances where you may have to bypass constitutional provisions or say compromise a constitutional provision in order to achieve a greater good, in order to achieve something that will make the country survive something that ensures the security and survival of the country and that is the doctrine of necessity.

“There is justification for what the president did and that is found in the doctrine of necessity. Because we have been struggling to buy those airplanes since the time of President Jonathan

“They are the airplanes that are required in modern time to fight the insurgency and we don’t have access to those kinds of airplanes,” said Keyamo who also noted that the president did not deal with any individual, but directly with the US government to buy the aircraft.

Keyamo said the President was right to seek the approval of the Senate after the payment have been made.