28th June, 2020
The presidency has clarified the exact nature of the recent meeting held by the National Executive Committee of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
President Muhammadu Buhari has been criticised for holding a political meeting in the “hallowed” chamber of the Federal Executive Council.
But in a statement by spokesman, Garba Shehu, the presidency responded:
“This meeting, we say emphatically, was not convened at the Council Chamber. It was virtual, not a physical meeting”.
The presidency was at a loss as to what warranted the criticism, as there is no law that says the President is barred from holding meetings in certain sections of the vast Presidential Villa.
“Since the President lives in the Villa, no one can, legally speaking, choose or dictate to him where he can sit to hold meetings. So, what is wrong in the President presenting himself before a camera and a TV screen in a digital conference at a given location within the Villa?
“Why was it a virtual meeting? The idea was to observe social distancing in view of health concerns. Knowing how small the conference hall of the party is, social distancing would only have been observed in the breach.
“President Buhari was billed to address the meeting from his office (just any of his offices) and chose the Council Chamber where the digital facilities are located, and other members, including the bulk of National Executive Committee members, state party leaders and members of the National Assembly were all linked using video conference calls. You saw them all on TV.
“Yes, it is true that Governors and leaders of the National Assembly joined the President from the Chamber from where he spoke. But the larger body of the members in attendance were all connected via video calls.
“Do not forget that these are not the normal times in view of the COVID-19 circumstances in which we have found ourselves. President Buhari placed health and safety above courtesy to the party by not going to its headquarters.
“In the end, a wise thing had been done because the President wants to curtail the spread of the Coronavirus disease.”