The All Progressives Congress (APC) said it will approach the courts for a clear interpretation of the role of the National Assembly in the passing of the nation’s Budget, alleging that, the lawmakers have overstepped their bounds by unnecessarily tinkering with the budget when its constitutional duty is mainly supervisory.
The party specifically expressed disappointment by the Chairman of the Senate Appropriation Committee, Sen. Danjuma Goje and his counterpart in the House of Representatives, hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin for “directly supervised and even actively abetted such debauchery.”
In a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by the APC national vice chairman (South-south) Prince Hilliard Eta, said the deletion of Lagos-Calabar rail track from 2016 Budget by the National Assembly as a display of depraved indifference to the welfare of Nigerians.
“The arbitrary removal of the Lagos – Calabar rail track by the National Assembly from the 2016 budget is a display of depraved indifference to the welfare of Nigerians. The deletion is not just arbitrary; it is a big disservice to the people of Nigeria, particularly the South South zone which the proposed railway track would have traversed.
“Also, the total rehabilitation of the collapsed and terrible Calabar – Odukpani –Itu – Ikot Ekpene federal highway which was allotted six billion naira by the federal government in the budget was doctored and almost five billion naira removed and reallocated to a non-existent project in the constituency of the Chairman of the House of Representatives Appropriation Committee, Abdulmumin Jibrin, in Kano state.
“By these two acts, the Senate and House of Representatives displayed the astonishing contempt in which they hold Nigerians. The National Assembly exists to ensure that Nigerians get the best from their government using the instrument of purposeful legislation but the 8th Assembly by this budget padding debacle has not only brought itself to ridicule, it has also proved itself unworthy of the trust and confidence of Nigerians.
While demanding that the budget be reverted, the South-south APC, therefore, threatened that “we shall approach the courts of the land for a clear interpretation of the role of the National Assembly in the passing of the National Budget as it is evident that it overstepped its bounds by unnecessarily tinkering with the budget when its constitutional duty is mainly supervisory.”
