The House of Representatives says one of its members who accused President Bola Tinubu of presenting empty boxes of 2024 budget proposals knows nothing about what is going on at the green chamber.
The lower chamber stated this on Saturday while debunking the allegation of Yusuf Galambi of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) representing Gwaram federal constituency of Jigawa State, had, in an interview with BBC Hausa, claimed that the president submitted an empty budget boxes without details during the presentation ceremony.
The allegation
Mr Galambi said the alleged act of Mr Tinubu smacks of deceit.
“We’ve checked but there was nothing inside. We checked it. In the history of the National Assembly, this was the first time such a thing happened,” the lawmaker claimed.
“The constitution has made it clear (that a document must be presented) but this time, it was only a reading on paper. They didn’t provide the document for us to go through and see what is proposed for each sector. Maybe they’ll bring it later.
“If he (Mr Tinubu) was not ready, if the budget proposal was not ready to be presented, he shouldn’t have come and said he was done. We could have given him more time, why the haste? Why would he come and read something and even say he has kept it (document) when it’s empty?” he queried.
Cover up
He did not spear the leadership of the national assembly co-chaired by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, accusing it of covering up the alleged act of Mr Tinubu.
“They (leaders of the National Assembly) don’t want anyone to talk about it. Maybe they were not informed or were possibly aware of what was planned and they decided not to inform us,” he said.
Absenteeism
Knocking the accuser, the spokesperson of the green chamber, Akin Rotimi (APC, Ekiti), said the Jigawa lawmaker who has been in the house since 2007 was always absent during plenary hence does not know what is happening therein.
Mr Rotimi, in a telephone interview with Premium Times, stated that Mr Galambi is not in a position to speak on legislative matters because “he is never in the chamber for plenary activities.”
“This is someone (Galambi)—it has been proven—has not met up to 10 per cent of plenary since we resumed. Go and verify. He does not even know what’s happening in parliament. Does he attend anything? When somebody comes and just says what he knows nothing about. Does he even attend plenary sessions to now make grievous accusations against the House and the presidency as well? the Ekiti lawmaker queried.
Penalty
The House spokesperson claimed that his colleague-lawmaker could face the committee on House Ethnic and Privilege for his “grievous claim” and non-attendance of plenary sessions.
A member of the National Assembly risks losing his/her seat for not attending a number of plenary sessions.
“68. (1) A member of the Senate or of the House of Representatives shall vacate his seat in the House of which he is a member if –
“Without just cause he is absent from meetings of the House of which he is a member for a period amounting in the aggregate to more than one-third of the total number of days during which the House meets in any one year.”
Meanwhile, the presidency has reacted to the allegation, describing it as nonsensical aimed at misleading the public.
