Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara yesterday reaffirmed the independence of the National Assembly, saying the legislature will not be a rubberstamp of the executive arm of government.
According to him, “by the constitution and design, the executive informs us what they intend to do and the representatives of the people in National Assembly decide what is priority, since they represent the people.”Dogara stated this during the signing of the N8.93 trillion 2019 budget by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja.
He was reacting to a complaint by the president that changes to the budget by the legislators would “adversely impact our programmes, making it difficult for us to achieve the objectives of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan.”The speaker’s assertion came at a time members of the new ninth Assembly are locked in a battle of wits over the choice of leadership.
The Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Adams Oshiomhole had repeatedly boasted that the party would sweep all the leadership slots, leaving the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) helpless. But while some legislators backed his position, others, even within APC ranks, have disagreed, setting the stage for the climactic election in about two weeks. Read more