2016 Budget Padding Crisis: SAN Advises National Assembly Leadership to Intervene

31/07/2016

Source: http://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2016/07/31/2016-budget-padding-crisis-san-advises-national-assembly-leadership-to-intervene/

A legal luminary and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mallam Yusuf Olu Ali, has urged the leadership of the National Assembly to urgently wade into the current crisis rocking the House of Representatives over the issue of the alleged padding of 2016 budget.

He said that the legislature is the hallmark of democracy and all hands must be on deck to protect it.

Since the removal of the former chairman of Appropriation Committee of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, from office by the Speaker of the house, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, there had been allegations and counter allegations over the padding of 2016 budget.

Jibrin had accused Speaker, Hon. Dogara, Deputy Speaker, Hon. Lasun Yusuf, Chief Whip, Hon. Alhassan Ado Dogowa, and Minoraity Leader, Hon. Leo Ogor of allocating N40 billion from the national assembly budget to themselves and other fraudulent activities.

But Speaker Dogara and other principal officers have since denied the allegation raised by Hon, Jibrin.

But a legal luminary, Mallam Ali, said in a chat with our correspondent in Ilorin on Sunday on the state of the nation, also described the unfolding event as a political immaturity being exhibited by the members of the lower chamber.

According to him, “I think that the leadership of the national assembly should intervene in the issue before it goes out of hands”.