Reports: Senate Rejects Deployment of Nigerian Troops to The Gambia

The Senate yesterday protested Presi­dent Muhammadu Buhari’s deployment of Armed Forces to Banjul, the capital of Gambia for the inauguration of Mr Adama Barrow as the Gambian Presi-dent with­out seeking its approval.
According to the Up­per House, the action was in gross violation of Section 5(4b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amend­ed) which authorises the President to secure the National Assembly’s ap-proval before he could de­ploy Nigeria’s troop to any foreign country.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Anti-corruption and Financial Crimes, Senator Chuk­wuka Uta-zi, while rising under Order 43, entitled: ‘Personal Explanation’, in the Senate Standing Orders, described the deployment of troops to Banjul for the inaugura­tion of Barow as an affront on the Constitution.
He noted that the troops were deployed following the refusal of Yahya Jameh to step down after losing election to Barrow late last year.
Utazi cited Section 5(4a,b) of the Constitu­tion which provides that the President should not de-clare war against an­other country except with the consent of the Na­tional Assembly neither should he deploy troops outside the country with­out Senate approval.
He said, “In clear terms, Section 5(4a,b) provides that the President shall not declare a state of war between the federation and another country ex­cept with the sanction of a resolution of both Houses of the National Assembly sitting in a joint session; and except with the prior approval of the Senate, no member of the Armed Forces of the federation shall be deployed on com­bat duty outside Nigeria.”
Speaking further, he said: “I am saying this because the happenings in our friendly country in Gambia - the ECOW­AS countries have been discussing this issue on how to ensure that demo-cratic rights of the people of Gambia are protected. But that this country will go on a warfare in an­other country without a recourse to this consti­tutional provision is an affront on the 1999 Con-stitution and it is a breach of the Constitution and even when the Senate has been cooperating with the Executive. But let it be on record that if any­thing of this nature hap­pens in this country, this National Assembly has to be informed properly in writing.”
However, Senate Presi­dent, Bukola Saraki rose in defence of the Presi­dent, citing a proviso un-der Section 5 (5) of the Constitution which states that the President can deploy troops outside the country on a limited combat if he is convinced that national security is under threat and then seek the consent of the Senate within seven days.