By Ed Malik, A | October 5, 2022
ed@ddnewsonline.com
Political Action Committee for a Stronger Nigeria (PACSON) has called out President Muhammadu Buhari for denying the former Senate President, Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki the national honour of Grand Commander of Nigeria (GCON), declaring that it a clear sign of nepotism.
Buhari recently approved the conferment of various categories of national honours on deserving and some undeserving Nigerians, for the investiture ceremony slated for Tuesday, October 11, at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Abuja.
In a statement, the National Coordinator of PACSON, Dr. Zakari Al-Bayero, said that the issue of national honour should be based on merit, office rather than politics and vindictiveness, adding that the former Senate President is statutorily qualified for the honour award of GCON by virtue of the office he once occupied.
Dr. Al-Bayero said: “The norm has been that whoever is Vice President or Senate President automatically qualifies for the award of GCON, if he or she had not been given. It is the office and not the person. That’s the position of the relevant constitutional backing for national honour awards for certain categories”.
According to PACSON, it is an open secret that there was no love lost between President Buhari and the former Senate President due to political differences, saying that is not a basis to deny Saraki his due for once occupying the exalted position of the President of Eight National Assembly.
“President Buhari should show that he’s a statesman, especially at this inchoate time of winding up of his tenure and urgently accord Saraki his due honour”, he said.
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