•Tinubu and NASS leaders
The leadership of the National Assembly today met with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, hours after both chambers resumed plenary following a brief recess.
Our correspondent observed that Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, and the Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, arrived at the forecourt of the State House at about 3:30 pm, reports The PUNCH.
The leaders departed the Villa approximately 30 minutes later, at about 4:00 pm, without speaking to the press.
The purpose of the meeting was not made public as of the time of filing this report.
Both chambers of the National Assembly reconvened today morning at 11:00 a.m. after postponing the earlier resumption date of February 24 to allow committees conclude budget defence sessions with ministries, departments and agencies.
The meeting comes barely a week after President Tinubu hosted senators and members of the House of Representatives to separate Ramadan Iftar dinners, where he urged lawmakers to begin constitutional amendments to establish state police as part of efforts to tackle insecurity.
“What I am asking for tonight is for you to start thinking how best to amend the Constitution to incorporate the state police for us to secure our country, take over our forests from marauders, free our children from fear,” Tinubu told senators during their Iftar on Wednesday, February 25.
He made a similar appeal to members of the House of Representatives on Friday, February 27, urging them to ensure that the constitutional amendment includes safeguards against abuse by state governors.
Tinubu had also hosted state governors to an Iftar dinner on Monday, February 23, where he declared his commitment to establishing state police, saying, “What I promise you is not to be postponed. We will establish state police.”
That day, he had invited the former Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to a meeting at the Villa where he asked the police chief to resign.
Sources told our correspondent that Egbetokun had pushed against the establishment of state police and was slow to implement the president’s directive to withdraw all police personnel nationwide from VIP duties.
