The Senate on Thursday faulted the comments by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo that the National Assembly lacks power to introduce projects into annual budgets.
It noted that such remarks were capable of distorting constitutional facts about how the national budget is produced.
The development comes as the Senate has adjourned till July 4, 2017.
Adopting a motion by the Deputy Senate Leader, Bala Na’Allah through Order 43 of the Senate Standing Rule, the upper chamber said it would prefer to ignore the comment as if it was never made.
Na’Allah who drew attention to the Acting President’s comments said that Section 80 of the 1999 Constitution was very clear about the power and control of National Assembly over budget.
Na’Allah who said he had known Osinbajo for a long time before he became Vice President assured that it might not be completelt true that he said what was attributed to him.
“I know that the Acting President who is a Professor of Law is sufficiently trained in law to know that the National Assembly has powers to tinker with the budget. I am not making a case for him and I do not want to believe that he said what has been alleged that he said.
“I also want to assuage the fears of my colleagues that what was alleged to have been said does not represent the spirit of the framers of our Constitution. This explanation is necessary so that we put this matter to rest” Na’Allah stated.
The Acting President had signed the N7.44trillion budget on Tuesday.
Osinbajo had said last Tuesday that the National Assembly has no right to introduce new projects or modify those contained in an appropriation bill.
The Acting President who spoke at the Old Banquet Hall of the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja while flagging off the 2018 budget preparation process had said: “This last budget, the President presented it last December. Despite the assurances that it will be passed in February, it was not until May.
“As it turned out, we were quite disappointed that it spent a bit of time before it was approved. And thereafter, we had to go into negotiations with the National Assembly in order to get it right.
“Now, there are these two broad issues about who can do what. The first report is about who can do what. When you present budget to the National Assembly, it is presented as a bill, an appropriation bill.
“And secondly, do not introduce entirely new projects and all of that or modify projects. This is something that we experienced last year and this year again. It now leaves the question about who is supposed to do what”.
But ruling on Na’ Allah’s motion, Senate President Bukola Saraki, said that he had received complaints from several law makers about Osinbajo’s comments.
He said that because of the Acting President’s knowlege about the law, it is safe to assume that he was misquoted.
Saraki further told Senators that although the leadership of the National Assembly had held some consultations with the Presidency on the 2017 budget, no aspect of the Senate rule, the constitution and the law had been compromised.
According to Saraki, the Senate leadership had vowed to defend the constitution and would continue to do so irrespective of any consultation.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
