Buhari refuses to meet with officials telling them to report to acting president Osinbajo

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has returned all recent suggestions and proposals submitted to him by government functionaries telling them to forward them to acting president Professor Yemi Osinbajo as bypassing him undermines the presidency.

On May 8, President Buhari returned to the UK for medical treatment and in line with the constitutional provision, wrote to the National Assembly handing over the reins of government to Professor Osinbajo. However, despite this development, several of the president's close associates have refused to accept that they have to deal with the acting president and still submit ideas to President Buhari on his sick London bed.

Exasperated with this constant undermining of his deputy, President Buhari has refused to see officials who constantly sneak into the UK with files for his signature. Even when such files are passed on to him via his aides, the president has rejected them and asked the affected government functionaries to take all documents and issues to the acting president.

One presidency source said: “Despite the fact that he is fast recuperating, the president has tried as much as possible to stick to one presidency. He has refused to see some government officials who went to London to see him instead of being at their desks to work.

"He also returned all files and documents to those who brought them to London and the president gave stern instructions that all files, documents and issues needing decisions should be taken to the acting president. He does not want a divided government and President Buhari is living up to his Spartan discipline."

While in London, President Buhari has refused to grant audience to ministers and some presidential aides who indicated an interest in seeing him. President Buhari has made it clear that his administration runs one presidency and since there is an acting president in place, any attempt to create a division by anyone will not be tolerated.

One of the delegations that went on a futile trip to see President Buhari returned to Abuja on Wednesday a few hours to the signing of the 2017 budget by Professor Osinbajo. President Buhari refused to alter the budget or have anything to do with it, saying such powers now reside with Professor Osinbajo.

“He has restricted audience to two or three personal aides with him in London, which is why there are no leaks associated with his first medical trip this time around. Those involved in taking files and documents to London had their ego deflated and since their return from the various shuttles.

"They have been trying to curry the favour of the acting president or cooperate with him but they did not know that intelligence reports had exposed their antics. However, the truth is that the president has been speaking with the acting president,” the presidency source added.