Rufai Oseni: Nigerian presidents are like monarchs — it’s hard to unseat them

Oseni Rufai, Arise Television journalist, says the presidency in Nigeria is similar to a monarchy and cannot be questioned.

He made the remark while speaking on 90Minutes Africa, an online TV show hosted by Rudolf Okonkwo and Chido Onumah.

Rufai said it is important for the judiciary to conclude election petitions before the May 29 handover, adding that the incumbent has an unfair advantage afterwards.

The broadcaster said this in response to the question of what would happen if Bola Tinubu is inaugurated while his electoral victory still faces legal challenges.

“Go and read the constitution of Nigeria. The Nigerian president is a monarchy,” he said.

“Every Nigerian president has always assumed it. Once he is sworn in, he assumes monarchical powers. 

“A Nigerian president is like what the Yoruba calls ‘kabiyesi’. You can hardly question him.

“And that’s why people should also be active in terms of not politics alone but also in matters of constitutional reform.

“I thought that was going to make a lot of Nigerians protest on the streets but a lot of them didn’t get it. 

“And that’s why we need to give this information to Nigerians that a president is saying nobody can question me. And even the national assembly, the representative of the people cannot question me.”

Rufai said the country has failed to comply with the Justice Muhammed Uwais report of 2007 which recommended that election petitions should be concluded before the swearing in of a new government.

“The Uwais reports in 2007 talked about every election litigation must be completed before the swearing in of the candidates. And the argument in the report was that it gives an unfair advantage to the incumbency once a candidate is sworn in,” he said.

Tinubu, standard bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was declared the winner of the presidential election held on February 25.

He secured 8,794,726 votes, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had 6,984,520, and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) polled 6,101,533.

Both Obi and Atiku filed their petitions between March 21 and 22. However, the tribunal is yet to commence the hearing.