Tinubu, Buhari Defeated, As Dogara Gets Victory For Budget Padding Allegations

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Emerging reports indicate that President Muhammadu Buhari, seems to have bowed to superior argument, despite the effort by reactionary forces within the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to portray the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, guilty over alleged padding of the 2016 budget, Post-Nigeria has gathered.

Dogara, who had presented a superior argument on the issue of tinkering with the 2016 budget, adduced reasons why he cannot be investigated, or prosecuted.

Dogara, in an apparent fight back on the budget padding controversy, declared that legally, no member of the National Assembly can be investigated, or charged to court for performing their constitutional responsibility of law-makin, which includes the process of passing a budget into law.

Post-Nigeria, learnt that Buhari and the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, Abubakar Malami, have not issued a statement to counter the position of the embattled Speaker.

Recall, that the leadership of the ruling APC, had earlier given Dogara a pat on the back, by saying that there was nothing like budget padding.

However, the sacked Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, Abdulmumin Jibrin, has dismissed the Speaker’s position, and challenged him to a public debate on the matter.

He said Dogara’s comment, that Lawmakers cannot be tried for doing their duty, is diversionary, and meant to mislead the public.

“I challenge speaker Dogara and his cabal, to a public debate on their claim that the fraudulent insertions they made in the budget is not an offence that can be prosecuted under the laws of Nigeria, rather than continue in their futile efforts to blackmail the entire country, or continue their begging mission to the party. They should submit themselves to the anti-corruption agencies and answer thousands of questions waiting for them”, he said.

Meanwhile, Dogara, had during a Civil Society Dialogue Session, organised by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre, PLAC, noted that, the 2016 budget had been controversial from the beginning, and that it took dialogue, compromise and consensus, to produce a workable document.

The Speaker, argued that by virtue of the provisions of the Legislative Houses Powers and Privileges Act, no member of the parliament can be charged to court, or investigated for exercising their powers of law making.

On the powers of the National Assembly over the budget, Dogara, maintained that the appropriation bill is just like any other bill which must be subjected to normal legislative processes and scrutiny.

“The constitution talks about the estimates of revenue and expenditure to be prepared and laid before the National Assembly.

“I want this thing to sink, so that we can understand it from here, and perhaps it may change the on-going discourse.

“If you say the National Assembly doesn’t have the powers to tinker with the budget, that we just pass it. When it is prepared and laid, we turn it into a bill. If it is a bill, how do other bills make progression in the parliament in order to become law?

“If you contend that we cannot tinker with the appropriation bill, though it is a money bill, it therefore goes without saying that we cannot tinker with any executive bill.”

Dogara, further argued that all that was done with the budget, has been carried out in accordance with the law, which gives independence to the legislature.

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