'THOSE AGAINST BUHARI AS MINISTER OF PETROLEUM ARE CROOKS'- Presidency

The Presidency on Sunday replied those attacking
President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing
himself the Minister of Petroleum Resources,
saying that he had not broken the law.
Recall that Buhari had in an interview last week
during his visit to New York said he would head
the ministry and that he would only appoint a
Minister of State to assist him.
His decision was greeted with so much criticisms
from angry Nigerians, who have argued that the
nation’s constitution forbids a sitting President
from holding another public office.
But the Senior Special Assistant to the President
on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, while
speaking to The Punch, slammed those behind
the attack on Presiden Buhari as “briefcase-
carrying crooks.”
The presidential spokesman said because the said
crooks were aware that Buhari would not “do
deals” with them, they would not want to go down
without putting up a fight, hence the criticism.
He added that Buhari would also be bringing
knowledge to the sector because beside the
military, “the oil industry is one other area where
the President is very knowledgeable.”
The presidential spokesman said, “The President
has a lot of experience to bring to the oil industry.
Besides the military, the oil industry is another
area where he is knowledgeable.
“Mr. President also has tremendous integrity
which he is bringing to the sector, which is the
most rotten in the nation’s economy.
“The criticisms are coming from deal makers and
briefcase-carrying cooks because they know that
Buhari is not a deal maker.
“The deal makers are not ready to go down
without shouting because they know that their
days are over.”
On the claim that it is unconstitutional for a sitting
President to hold another public office, Shehu said
all the powers of the executive arm of government
reside in the President.
“The President personifies the Executive. The
power of the Executive arm resides in him. He can
only be queried if he goes beyond the Executive
arm and ventures into the Legislature or
Judiciary,” Shehu concluded.