New information has surfaced, challenging previous statements made by Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq regarding a vote of confidence in President Bola Tinubu during the recent inaugural meeting of the National Council of State (NCS).
It has now been revealed that no such vote of confidence was actually conducted. Governor AbdulRazaq, who also leads the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), had initially claimed that both the Council and the NGF had collectively expressed confidence in President Tinubu.
“The high note of the (Council) meeting was a unanimous passage of a vote of confidence on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, Commander in Chief of the Nigerian armed forces,” the Kwara governor stated.
A senior official who was at the meeting has contradicted this statement, calling it a fabrication given to the press.
According to the official, the Council of State is a significant advisory group consisting of respected individuals like former Presidents, Heads of State, and top judiciary and legislative figures. The source explained that the meeting should not be equated to a casual community gathering where such votes are typically taken.
The Authority Newspaper quoted the official as saying, “The meeting is a very serious one that has a list of to-do things which we call agenda or agendum. There was nowhere a motion for a debate on whether or not to pass vote of confidence was on the agenda of the meeting. In any case, I know that such votes are passed in a Parliamentary system of government, and Nigeria runs a presidential system,” the Authority Newspaper quoted the official as saying.
According to him, “after the end of the Council meeting, Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi, suggested that, in the light of the #endbadgovernance protests, it would be good for the Council to show solidarity with President Tinubu,” offered the official.
“No sooner had the AGF made the proposal than Senate President Godswill Akpabio rose to, in his words, second the motion for Council to pass a vote of confidence on President Bola Ahmed TinubuTinubu,” adding, “to be fair, no former Presidents/Heads of State, nor governors present at the meeting commented on the motion by Fagbemi and Akpabio,” he stated.
He added, “I am sure the former leaders at the meeting must have been thoroughly embarrassed by Governor AbdulRazaq’s claim.
Both former Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari were personally present at the meeting.
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