Fred Itua, Abuja
Baring any minute change, the Senate will suspend plenary at the end of its legislative business this week or in the first quarter of next week.
The planned suspension is to enable standing committees engage heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) during the defence of the 2020 Appropriation Bill.
President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, had at the commencement of the ninth Assembly, said the country will be returned to the January-December budget circle.
He had promised that the National Assembly was willing to suspend its activities to enable lawmakers work within a timeframe and pass the budget before Christmas.
The planned suspension of plenary is also coming at a time when the ninth Assembly is yet to carry out any oversight function on the implementation of the 2019 budget.
The budget was passed and signed into law in April. The eight National Assembly didn’t carry out any oversight function on the implementation of the budget before its termination in June.
President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to present the 2020 Appropriation Bill to a joint session of the National Assembly. The presentation is expected to hold in the lower chamber of the National Assembly.
Already, President Buhari has sent a letter to the leadership of the National Assembly, informing them of his plans to address a joint session and present the 2020 Appropriation Bill. The letter has however not been read on the floor of the two chambers.
The letter read: “May I crave the kind indulgence of the Distinguished Senate to grant me the slot of 1400 hours on Tuesday, 8th October, 2019, to formally present the 2020 Appropriation Bill to the Joint session of the National Assembly.
“Please accept, Mr. Senate President, the assurances of my highest regards, as I look forward to addressing the Joint Session.”