Amotekun: Ball now in court of Southwest governors – Presidency

• Why Buhari Tasked Osinbajo To Resolve The Controversy

Following the meeting of the six Southwest governors and the Federal Government to iron out contentious aspects of the Amotekun security outfit, they coast now appears clear for the governors to take appropriate steps to legitimize the outfit. Different interpretations were given the outcome of last Thursday’s meeting, which was presided by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, and had, in attendance the Attorney-General and Justice Minister, Abubakar Malami; but a Presidency source told The Guardian yesterday that the coast is now clear for Southwest governors to do the needful and get Amotekun off the ground.

On why it was not President Buhari that presided, given the sensitive nature of the issues, the source said the President decided to give the task to his Vice, Yemi Osinbajo because he trusted the law professor and Senior Advocate will find the needed balance to bring the Southwest governors on the same page with the relevant Federal Government agencies and officials.

Informed sources disclosed over the weekend that the Southwest governors had written the President soon after Malami had described the Amotekun initiative as illegal, seeking a political solution as the matter was generating serious national controversy and heating up the polity.

Although the President was traveling soon after the request and therefore asked the VP to manage the issue, informed sources said the President actually delegated the assignment to his deputy “because he knew he has the credibility, knowledge and national acceptance to handle the delicate issues, while allowing the President himself to hold off the final disposition should the VP’s management became inconclusive.”

But the sources added that, “it was clear that the President knew his deputy has a good grasp and required balance of the issues involved. Equally, it was also reasoned that the VP being one of the foremost proponents of Community Policing would be able to table a consensus that would be acceptable to the states concerned and the FG officials, especially the Inspector General of Police and the Attorney-General of the Federation.”

It was explained that even if the President were in the country and hosted the meeting, he would certainly have invited the VP and relied on his counsel. According to the source, “it was not really a matter of his absence in the country, if you look at it, the meeting held on Thursday, the same day the President returned. Having VP do the meeting was therefore more of a question of trust and confidence in him by his boss rather than a question of logistics,” a source close to one of the governors in attendance at the Thursday meeting added.

The source prayed that the resolution of the dispute has put an end to weeks of national tension and altercation by several interest groups and individuals, many of who heavily criticized what had been perceived as an attempt by the FG to shoot down a probable local security enhancement concept developed amidst rising insecurity and criminality in the Southwest.