|
Senate/Reps face-off: No deal
From JACOB EDI, Abuja
Friday, November 20, 2009
 |
•Bankole
Photo: Sun News Publishing |
|
Hopes of early resolution of the battle for supremacy between the
Senate and the House of Representatives over venue for the presentation
of the budget by President Umaru Yar’Adua dimmed yesterday
after a joint meeting between the leadership of the Peoples Democratic
Party [PDP] and the National Assembly failed to produce any concrete
agreement.
By yesterday’s development there are also indications that
the presentation of the budget, considered by analysts as coming
late, may have to be shifted till early 2010. This is against an
original road-map announced by President Yar’Adua about three
months ago that by the end of November 2009, the appropriation bill
for the next fiscal year would have been laid before both chambers
of the national assembly.
At the time of this filing report, after a meeting that appears
to only oil an existing confusion, it was gathered that both National
Chairman of the party, Vincent Eze Ogbulafor, and his deputy, Dr.
Bello Haliru, were hurriedly summoned to the Presidential Villa
to brief the President.
Senate President, David Mark and Speaker, Dimeji Bankole, had arrived
the PDP secretariat at about 1:30pm at the instance of the National
Working Committee (NWC) and on the orders of the President who was
said to have expressed displeasure that despite the strength of
the PDP in both chambers, it was still difficult to get an easy
ride on issues.
Although the meeting held behind closed doors, sources hinted Daily
Sun that the NWC had appealed to the Senate President and the Speaker
that they needed to cooperate and that the impression the rift would
create before the opposition and even the Presidency was that the
leadership of the party could not control its members.
But both men refused to shift grounds.
The position of the Senate, it was gathered, was that the Senate
President, as chairman of NASS could choose any venue to hold a
joint session, while the House argued on the need to stick to the
tradition of holding a joint session at the chambers of the House
of Representatives.
Commenting on the development, National Publicity Secretary, Professor
Rufai Alkali confirmed the meeting was at the instance of the party
leadership, adding that “we had very useful deliberations.”
Pinned down to specifics he refused to state categorically the resolutions
reached at the meeting, which lasted about 30 minutes.
“They have brifed us and we told them to maintain the tradition
which is backed by the constitution. They have now gone back to
make consultations. The budget is on course. They are guided by
the constitution and there is a tradition which is well known and
they will work by the tradition,” Alkali told journalists.
The party spokesman was, however, not forthcoming on whether the
party had been able to whip them to line or if the budget would
still be presented this year.
Make
N3 million by referring a bullet-proof car buyer
How
to Get Any Woman You Want. Click Here!
Make
N450,000 Online Monthly. Click Here |
