Lawmakers seek clarity on ailing President

National Assembly members are considering calling for the invocation of section 144 of the 1999 Constitution aimed at ascertaining the health status of ailing President Muhammadu Buhari. House Speaker Yakubu Dogara last week expressed concern about having such a ‘weighty issue with grave political implications’ listed on the order paper of the lower legislative chamber. However, lawmakers with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may present it as a motion or through the guise of a matter of privilege on either the floor of the Senate or the House of Representatives this week. The draft of the proposed motion obtained by The Guardian reportedly specifically expressed concern over the President's health status and the secrecy around it, terming it ‘unsatisfactory and falling short of global practices’. Legalbrief reports that Buhari had not been seen in public for several weeks until last Friday when he attended a prayer service. He is now undergoing medical tests in London.