The Nation Newspaper

Tag: All Progressives Congress (APC)

  • APC women plan national prayer summit for Buhari

    APC women plan national prayer summit for Buhari

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) women will hold a national prayer summit for quick recovery of the President Muhammadu Buhari.

    APC Deputy National Women leader Tina Ekwueme-Adike, who disclosed this to newsmen in Owerri on Friday, said they were worried by speculation over the health of President Buhari,

    She said that the Prayer Summit would be organised by the office of the APC deputy national women leader at Enugu and to be attended by mainly APC women from the entire Southern zone.

    She said that the prayer which would be non-denominational cuts across all political parties.

    “The prayer is specifically meant to implore God to re-enact  back those  values which Africans  and Nigerians  in particular  are noted for, especially respecting human values and praying for our leaders,’’ she said.

    Ekwueme-Adike condemned what she described as the unwarranted and unnecessary death wishes circulating in the social media on the health of the president.

    The APC deputy national women leader reminded Nigerians that to die was never for the elderly only but also for the young and infants alike.

    “Those speculating the death of someone, his or her business are rather putting their own life and business at risk because the law of nature will befall them,’’ she said.

    She urged Nigerian women to demonstrate a sense of commitment, patriotism, and selflessness in their daily life, noting that it would surely be well for the nation in the near future.

    She explained that the proposed prayer summit for the nation and its leadership was also for all Nigerians irrespective of their political parties, religion and tribal afflictions.

  • Ondo Assembly crisis: Seven remanded for attacking Mimiko’s convoy

    Ondo Assembly crisis: Seven remanded for attacking Mimiko’s convoy

    • As lawmakers go into hiding
    The fallout of Thursday protest at the Ondo State House of Assembly along Igbatoro road in Akure, the state capital has landed seven youths at the Olokuta Medium Prison.
    They were nabbed by security operatives during the protest for allegedly attacking the convoy of the state Governor, Olusegun Mimiko.
    Mimiko attempted to enter the Assembly with lawmakers loyal to him to present the 2017 budget.
    The youths, who  were arraigned at Akure ‎Magistrate court at Oke-Eda were Tunde Alabi (28), Abiola Eniola (27), Yusuf Muhammed (25), Olanrewaju Olomolotan (40), Adeniyi  Michael (30), Samson Omodara (20) and Ijalade Oluwaseun(27).
    Since last week Friday, the Assembly have been enmenshed with crisis following the removal of Hon. Jumoke Akindele and other principal officers by 14 lawmakers over alleged N15million‎ fraud.
    The aggrieved lawmakers, immediately appointed Hon. Malachi Coker as the acting speaker, Hon. Ayodele Arowele deputy and Hon. George Olamide as the Majority.
    Despite her impeachment, Akindele and other embattled principal officers have been laying claim to the leadership of the house.
    But since on Monday, Coker’s faction had been hoding their plenary sessions at the Assembly Complex.
    While the warring lawmakers are struggling over whose faction is the authentic, some youths have taken over the entrance of the Assembly since on Sunday protesting against Mimiko decision to present the 2017 budget and some bills few days to the end of his tenure.
    The protest went out of hand on Thursday, when they were alleged to have blocked the road and also attack the convoy of Mimiko.
    Those arrested during the protest were charged with four count charges: felony,  public disturbance,  unlawful assemble and public damage.
    The police prosecutor,  Inspector Martins Olowofeso told the court that the accused persons have committed punishable offence  under section 219 of the criminal code cap 36 laws of the Ondo state of Nigeria.
    Inspector Olowofeso however prayed the court to remand them at Olokuta prison for enable him to further investigate the case and brought other suspect to court saying there are still other people now at large.
    But counsel to the seven accused persons,  Mr. Femi Adetoye urged the court to grant them bail on most liberal term,  saying that the offences committed were bail able one.
    Adetoye also said that his clients would not jump bail and they are ready to provide reliable sureties if bail granted to them.
    In her ruling,  the presiding magistrate Victoria Bob-Manuel ordered the seven accused persons to be remanded at Olokuta prison custody and adjourned the case till 22nd February,  2017 for mention.
    The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Femi Joseph confirmed that the Assembly has been sealed off again.
    He said the police is ready to reopen the Assembly if the lawmakers are ready to bury their grievances and assure that their won’t be a break down of law and order.
    However, sources informed The Nation that legislators loyal to Coker’s camp may have gone into hiding over alleged threat to their lives.
    It was gathered ‎that the lawmakers, whose eight of them are members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), while five are members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have been receiving some strange calls since they carried out the impeachment process of Akindele.
    The spokesman of the group, Hon. Ogundeji Iroju who spoke with The Nation on phone ‎said their faction is not against Mimiko presenting the budget but only against the claim of Akindele that she is still the speaker despite she has been removed.
    Iroju said “the whole genesis of the‎ Assembly crisis is the alleged fraud of N15million levelled against Akindele and that was what led to her impeachment for a second term.
    “You will recollect that Akindele has earlier been impeached 10 months ago before governor Mimiko appealed to us to stop the impeachment with the intention then that she will turn a new leave.
    “This time around, we have elected another speaker, deputy and majority leader to replace the former principal officers of the house.
    “On Monday, we got an information that governor Mimiko will be coming to the house on Wednesday to come and present his 2017 appropriation bill and ‎as early as possible, we have arrived the Assembly waiting patiently for Mimiko because that is one of our constitutional duty to accept appropration bill from the governor and give the bill accelerated passage. 
    “But eventually, we waited for the governor but he did not come and what the law says is that only the quorum of the members can sit ‎at any giving time at the Assembly and the quorum of 26 members is nine. The members that sat were even more than the needed quorum. We were 13 in number. 
    “We found out later the reason why the governor did not come to present his budget, we were told that he has another emergency meeting in Abuja. We are waiting for Mimiko to come and present his budget because we know that if the budget is pass into law, it will have great positive impact on the lives of the masses.”
    When he was asked if they have made an attempt to discuss with the governor on why the sacked Akindele since they are all members of the same party, Iroju said “this is purely House of Assembly ‎affairs not a party issue.
    “We are defending the mandate of the people and not about the party because the people that voted for us are not only PDP members.
    “This is a legislative issue and nobody can impose a speaker on us. We are only worried why the governor is insisting that Akindele should continue as the speaker despite the allegation levelled against her.”
    The spokesman of ‎Akindele’s faction. Hon. Siji Akindiose from Ondo East state constituency only said their faction have decided not to go public on the issue anymore.
    Akindiose said he believes that it is an Assembly affair and the matter should be resolved amicably among the lawmakers.
    But in his previous interviews, the lawmaker had once said the money caught with the paymaster by their colleagues was meant for a project.
    He exonerated the embattled speaker from the allegations and also said the lawmakers, who carried the impeachment process failed to meet up the required constitutional numbers of lawmaker that must sit to impeach a speaker.
    Meanwhile, a former Deputy Governor of the state, Alhaji Ali Olanusi has cautioned the governor against interfering in the affairs of the Assembly.
    Olanusi spoke with reporters, shortly after he was honoured as the grand patron of Road Transport Employers of Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) at is residence in Akure.
    The octogenarian, who was impeached by the same lawmakers in 2015 after defecting from the PDP to APC asked Mimiko to recognise Coker’s faction.
    He urged the governor to emulate what President Muhammadu Buhari did when Bukola Saraki and Dogora were elected by the senators and lawmakers as their Senate President and speaker despite the stand of APC.
    “Nothing concern Mimiko with change of principal officers at the Assembly. Though I don’t blame him, the incumbent governor has been Commissioner, SSG and minister ‎without being elected as a lawmaker.
    “So, he did not know how the House operates, whether at the state and national level.
    “Nothing concern him about principal officers of the house. It is the responsibility of the members to pick one of them as their speaker.”
    The former deputy governor wondered why the governor refused not to present the budget despite the lawmakers at the house on Wednesday formed a quorum.
    Olanusi recalled that there was a time when the same governor presented a budget to less than 10 lawmakers at the Assembly and urged the people to ask Mimiko why he failed to present his budget?.
  • ‘Why I left PDP for APC’

    ‘Why I left PDP for APC’

    The managing director and chief executive officer of Peace Mass Transit Limited, Chief Maduka Onyishi said he left Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for All Progressives Congress (APC) because of the former’s impunity and undemocratic tendencies.
    Onyishi who formally registered in APC at the just concluded registration exercise said he frowned at the situation where one person in the state would single-handedly dictate who to contest election or not.
    The transport magnet spoke to reporters in Enugu yesterday on his defection from PDP to APC.
    According to him, it was only the APC that can afford him the opportunity to serve the society because of its democratic and transparency antecedents.
    Onyishi said he was in politics to render service to the society and not to contest positions whether elective or appointive.
    “I have watched and studied the APC and found out that there is nothing like impunity or imposition of candidates. APC is the party where you queue up and cast your vote for your preferred candidate,” the transport magnet explained.
    He praised the Muhammadu Buhari led APC Federal government for its forthright and focused direction it is giving the country.
    He admonished Nigerians to give their total support to Buhari whom he posited, has the interest of the common Nigerian at heart.
    He said: “I have the convincing belief that Buhari will actually re-engineer this country for good. My admiration for him dates back to 1984 when he introduced the War Against Indiscipline (WAI). Buhari’s war against indiscipline then made me to be self-disciplined up till today.
    ‎”Today he has waged war against corruption. He is the only Nigerian leader who has the courage to confront corrupt politicians. Corruption is what is holding down Nigeria today. And President Muhammadu Buhari, I believe is equal to the task.”
    Onyishi was also of the view that before 2019, the APC would be the predominant party in the South East with the influx of array of political bigwigs from the zone that are joining it.
    “PDP is gone in this zone. The party shot itself down by the way it practices strange democracy where imposition takes the place of election. If you challenge the master’s voice, then you are done for,” he stressed.
  • Senator Andy Uba defects to APC

    Senator Andy Uba defects to APC

    Sen. Andy Uba, representing Anambra South Senatorial zone under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Uba disclosed this at a news briefing on Wednesday in his home country, Uga, Aguata Local Government Area of the state.

    The lawmaker said that he joined the APC at the ongoing registration of party members in the state.

    According to him, APC has ideology and focus which he needed to tap into to provide quality representation to his constituents.

    Uba further said that he joined the APC because of other personalities in the party with sound ideas and whom he looked up to in politics.

    He listed some of the personalities to include the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, and APC National Auditor, Chief George Muoghalu.

    Uba stressed that with such caliber of people, the party would take the state to enviable heights.

    The senator said he would be very effective in serving the yearnings of his people more now that he was in APC and urged other Igbo politicians to join the bandwagon.

    The registration of senator Uba had doused speculations of his defection to APC which had been on for many weeks in the state.

  • Nobody can stop our investigation, Shehu Sani tells APC

    Nobody can stop our investigation, Shehu Sani tells APC

    Chairman of the Senate adhoc Committee on the humanitarian crisis in the north east Senator Shehu Sani said Tuesday that nobody can stop his committee from completing its investigation of the misappropriation of funds budgeted for internally displaced persons in the region.

    Sani who held a two hours meeting with the leadership of the All progressives Congress (APC) told newsmen at the party national secretariat that the final report of his committee will be ready when the senate resume from break, pointing out the committee will continue to carry on with its investigations.

    The party leaders told the outspoken Senators that they were not comfortable with members of the party washing their dirty linens in public.

    He said the leadership of the party assured him that they were not opposed to the investigations being carried out by his committee, but were not comfortable with his choice of word while speaking on the floor of the senate and asked him to tone down his choice of words.

    He said further that his use of deodorant was just a mere a clear definition of the bipolar nature of the anti-corruption crusade going on in the country, adding that “I believe that there is the need for Nigerians to wake up to these realities.”

    Sani who said that the party was fully in support of the ongoing investigation by his committee said the leadership of the party also told him that what they are against is members of the party washing their dirty lining in public.

    He said: “First, it is good to make clarification. The party did not write to invite me here for a meeting contrary to reports. But with my presence here, we have discussed a number of issues.

    The first is the need for unity in the APC caucus and the need for us to refocus ourselves. Since the two groups, the Like Minds and the Unity Forum have fussed to together.

    “The second is what transpired after the interim report which I submitted on the floor of the senate. First, I wanted clarification from them whether the party is opposed to the looting of the funds of the Presidential Initiative on the humanitarian crisis in the north east.

    “They said the party is not opposed to it. I also ask if the party is opposed to my interim report and they said no and so, I ask what their issues were. They told me that they are worried and concerned each time I fire some grammar in the senate and it shock and rattles them while destroying the solidarity within the party and they want me to slow down on some of these  missiles. I told them that it is either my honour or that of the letter that was sent by the Presidency.
    “I did not in any way attack the President, but I faulted the letter based on three issues. First, my name was omitted in the letter as Chairman of the Senate adhoc committee. Secondly, the SGF said we didn’t invite him, but we did invite him and thirdly, the letter said there was no quorum.

    “I told them that in as much as my comment in deodorant and insecticide was rattling they should have invited the SGF to the senate.

    “They said they don’t want us to wash our dirty linings in the public and I told them, that at the end of the day, even if you wash your dirty linings inside the room, you will still have to dry the, outside.

    “I made clarifications that they are not opposed to corruption investigations, but they are worried by the missiles I used which are causing a lot of discomfort. I told them I was only using literary expression to send my message.

    “I made it clear to them that we are going to do our own report and continue to do it. I am glad that they are not opposed to our investigation and they are also not opposed to the continuation of our investigation.

    “I am an activist and my statement is my statement and it is very clear. I think we owe our loyalty to three things. These are our conscience, our conviction and to our country and any other thing can come secondary.

    “What we should also know is that if you love a person, you tell him the truth and I believe if we as a government and as a party cannot tell ourselves the truth, then we have lost the moral right and authority to tell others the truth.

    “We are investigating the massive misappropriation of funds for IDPs in the north east. Nobody can stop that. We are determined to do our work and have done an interim report and we are going to come out with the full detail after this break and nobody in the party has said he is opposed to it. But I think that their major concern was my grammar.”

    On the resolution of the senate asking for the sacking of the SGF, he said: “Sacking the SGF is not about Shehu Sani, but about the resolution of the senate and what they said is binding on me.

    If the senate says he should go, I share in that position and if they say he should remain, I share in that position too.

    “I didn’t ask to be named chairman of the adhoc committee and did not even know I was going to be in the committee. I was appointed and I have to do my job as it is and once I am done, I am out of it.”

  • Kogi people suffering under Bello, Faleke tells Presidency

    Kogi people suffering under Bello, Faleke tells Presidency

    A member of the House of Representatives and former contender of Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello’s position, Hon. James Falake, on Tuesday led a delegation of Kogi State indigenes to the Presidency to pass a vote of no confidence on Governor Yahaya Bello.

    Faleke, who led the group comprising former ministers, former ambassadors, former National Assembly members and other critical stakeholders from the State to the office of the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, said that the State has stopped working since Bello assumed office.

    Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the closed door meeting, Faleke said that the Governor’s unsavory actions were inimical to the future of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

    According to him, the people are dying of hunger as a result of the leadership style being adopted by Governor Bello.

    He said: “We came to the presidency to let federal government know what is happening in Kogi state as regards the fortunes of the party. The way it is dwindling day by day as regards the civil servants, the welfare of the people and their relationship with the state government.

    “We have come to let the presidency know so that when elections come and the party losses, no one is to be blamed. We want intervention from the federal government to find a way forward in this situation.

    “The governor of the state should recognize those who work for the party and make the party to be successful. It is one thing to be victorious at the court level and another thing to carry the people along. I want to use this opportunity to urge the governor to carry the people along.

    “This is the fifth time he is setting up a committee to review staff strength with so many screenings every day. People are dying. You ask people to come from the entire 21 local government to Lokoja to present their documents; some of them are dying on road accident.

    “My concern is that if he is too sure, he should set up a better frame rather than this recurrent approach. For all the committees that sent report to him, he has condemned their report and he is the one that set up these committees. Now another committee has been set up again for the same purpose.

    “We get calls every day for welfare from civil servants, school children that their parents have not been paid for months. So, we want him to stop this because this is not the only way to stop ghost workers and it shouldn’t be the last. I’m not against eradication of ghost workers but it shouldn’t be done to the detriment of the people,” he stated

    He said that the delegation was satisfied with the response of the Acting President during the meeting.

    “Of course, we are satisfied. It is a work in progress. It is not a fait accompli”, he said.

    A former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Abdullahi Bello Okene said that the delegation had representatives from across the state.

    “Yes of course. You can see among the delegation here are former ministers, former ambassadors, former National Assembly members across the state that are critical stakeholders. The leadership is all here cutting across the entire state”, he said.

    Faleke was a running mate to late Audu Abubakar, the governorship candidate of APC that died before he was declared winner in the election that brought Bello into office as governor.

    Falake had urged the courts to declare him winner of the election on the grounds that the votes cast for late Abubakar were his automatic inheritance as running mate rather than ceding it to Governor Bello who the party threw up as substitute. But the court ruled in favour of Bello.

  • ‘SGF a liability to Buhari’s govt’

    ‘SGF a liability to Buhari’s govt’

    A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna State, Yusuf Ali on Tuesday asked President Muhammadu Buhari to discard the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal as he has become a political liability to the present government.

    Ali said the continued retention of the SGF despite allegations of corruption against him by the Senate will negatively affect the transparency of the ongoing anti-corruption crusade of the government.
    In a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja, Ali said.

    “I strongly believe in the anti-corruption crusade and transparency in governance as being promoted by Mr President. But as a politician, there comes a time when you have to make a choice based on the preponderance of public opinion.

    “Our democracy rests on a tripod and if at any time an arm of the government raises any issue with any of the two arms, it behoves on the executive to see reasons and the political risk of any decision he is making. The other day it was corruption in the Judiciary and Nigerians were behind the president and today, it’s allegation of corruption within his government, he must equally take side with the people.

    “The Senate, being an elected body representing the whole of Nigerians has raised some fundamental issues that border on the credibility of Babachir. It, therefore, becomes politically expedient for Mr President to handle these issues very carefully least his actions might be misinterpreted.

    “Everybody knows Babachir is an ally of Mr President; but when the Senate alleges that the SGF conducted himself very dishonourably, he automatically became a political liability to the government that came to power on the crest of anti-corruption thus he has to be dispensed with so that the appropriate authorities can either clear or indict him.

    “I will advice Mr President to have a rethink on this issue by directing the SGF to proceed on leave in order to enable the anti-corruption agencies to proper investigate him vis a vis the Senate indictment.

    “If he is found liable, he can as well face the music. But on the other hand, if he is cleared, he resumes his work. In this way, Mr President can spare himself of all the hue and cry that he is covering up some people in his administration who are alleged to be corrupt.”

    He expressed the belief that if the embattled SGF fails the integrity test, there are competent and credible people even in the North East who can competently replace him while he serves out his time in any of the prisons assigned to him.

    He, however, faulted the security report which the senate relied on to reject the Acting EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, adding that the report was lacking in credibility is equally part of the Buhari government, and it will be safer for the President to align with the DSS instead of disregarding its security report.

    “A lot of people say Magu is a very competent officer but when a security report indicts him, he becomes a liability to the administration particularly being the head of the nation’s foremost anti-corruption agency.

    “I am not privy to the response Magu gave to the query issued by the President but the appropriate thing Mr President should have done is to replace Magu with equally another competent officer in order not to compromise the integrity of the anti-corruption war,” he said.

  • Buhari: APC diaspora condemns death rumour

    Buhari: APC diaspora condemns death rumour

    • Charges presidential media team on information management

    The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Scandinavia chapter, Ayoola Lawal, has called on villain individuals to stop peddling and spreading ill rumours of the death of President Muhammadu Buhari, who is on vacation in the United Kingdom contrary to death rumour.

    According to him, apart from the President’s age and the demand for his office, a routine check-up and break from work is an ideal habit to allow for refuelling of the body and soul.

    The APC Chief spoke with journalists in Ifako Ijaiye, Lagos, Nigeria after his courtesy visit to the newly elected Federal House of Representative member representing Ifako Ijaiye/ Ojokoro constituency, Hon. Akinwunmi Nurudeen.

    Recall that Hon Nurudeen was elected after the untimely death of late Hon. Adewale Elijah Oluwatayo.

    Further speaking about the rumour of Buhari’s death, Lawal observed that the President needs all the supports and prayers for his administration to deliver on the electoral promises rather than wishing him death.

    “It is naturally absurd to me reading the rumour about the death of an individual. I tend to think that those selling that news never thought of the families and the loved ones of those they are spreading their fake death news.

    “Sometimes, reading about our own obituary could serve as a wake-up call, in terms of our story in other people’s life, though, and late Alfred Nobel was a typical example.

    “However, I implore all and sundry to get the fact right before spreading information especially in this new age of social media. President Buhari and his team need and deserve our supports and prayers for his tenure to make meaning to Nigeria and Nigerians,” he said.

    The APC chief further advised the Presidential media team on effective information management, especially as concerning the President, on who is everyone’s attention.

    Lawal observed: “To be candid, President Buhari is the first leader in Nigeria to officially embrace the New Media as a crucial part of the media team. It is, therefore, uncalled for if both the digital media specialists and the conventional publicity and media advisers fail to adequately manage the information about the President to the point where rumour was almost causing chaos in the country.

    “Malam Garba Shehu, Mr Femi Adesina, Tolu Ogunlesi and everyone on the media team may need to wake up to the challenges and avoid such information mismanagement in the future. There are ways to keep the enemy of progress mute, but if the bearer of truth keeps quiet then falsehood may be accepted for truth instead. I cannot teach them their jobs because I believe the President chose them wisely.

    “May God grant Mr President a speedy recovery and long life in great health. Long live Nigeria. Long live President Buhari. Long live APC.”

  • Lawmaker wants Fayose to restore peace in PDP before March

    Lawmaker wants Fayose to restore peace in PDP before March

    A member of Lagos House of Assembly, Mr Victor Akande, on Monday, urged the Chairman, PDP Governors’ Forum, Mr Ayodele Fayose, to broker peace in the party before the end of March.

    Akande, a PDP member, representing Ojo I Constituency in the house of assembly, told newsmen that Fayose should employ all measures to bring every stakeholder in the party on board.

    According to him, Fayose’s new position should be devoted to putting an end to all grievances in the party.

    He suggested that the new chairman of the forum should appeal to all aggrieved stalwarts, if need be, to reunite the party.

    “There is a very big task for him to accomplish and that task is to bring back PDP together on a common front.

    “Things have fallen apart and the centre cannot hold, but our centre must hold.

    “Fayose has a task of ensuring a lasting solution to all the political bickering in the party. He has now assumed a position where he has to begin to beg everybody, even those that do not share his ideology.

    “He must as a matter of urgency broker peace, beg and close ranks with everybody so as to put the party in a right perspective.

    “That is the challenge he must face between now and March to right the wrongs.

    “Fayose must learn how to beg now if PDP must come back,’’ Akande said.

    The lawmaker also urged Fayose to, as an individual, try and reconcile with everybody, including Chief Bode George, a former Deputy National Chairman; Senator Buruji Kashamu and others, to move forward.

    According to him, there is no permanent enmity in politics; every stakeholder counts and there is a need for all to sheath their swords.

    Akande, however, urged Chief George to work with Fayose in the interest of the party, saying, “Fayose is Bode George’s boy and there is no one of us who has not passed through Bode George one way or the other’’.

    “George is a father. He must continue to be a leader and an elder who should turn himself into a dustbin and accept all insults. That is a sign of leadership.

    “We should forget the past and continue to work for the progress of the party.

    “Fayose should hold Bode George as a father. Let’s forget about apportioning blames and close ranks.’’

    He urged members of the National Assembly on the platform of the party and other stakeholders to rally round Fayose in the party’s interest.

    Akande advised that all in-fighting must stop to position the party well for local government elections that would hold in some states like Lagos and Oyo soon.

    He commended Fayose and Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers for being at the forefront of performing roles of opposition to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Gocernor Fayose was recently elected chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum and had started meeting with the party’s stakeholders.

  • Senate Leader briefs Osinbajo on 2017 Budget

    Senate Leader briefs Osinbajo on 2017 Budget

    ..Says opposition Senators cooperating with Buhari

    The new Senate Leader, Senator Ahmed Lawan, on Monday met with the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, at the State House and briefed him on the progress made so far by the Upper Chamber in the consideration of the 2017 Appropriation bill at the National Assembly.

    According to him, Senators on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition parties are unanimous in their support for President Muhammadu Buhari.

    He spoke with State House correspondents at the end of the closed door meeting.

    He said: “I’m here to meet the Acting President to brief him on what the Senate is doing on the Appropriation Bill 2017. You know we have suspended plenaries for three weeks. The idea is to have ample time to focus on the appropriation bill. The committees will start to work from this week meeting the MDAs on the budget defence that they need to do.

    “Secondly, you know that the Acting President is an APC Acting President of this our administration. As a new Senate Leader, it is also important that I come here to this office to tell the Acting President and our administration that the APC caucus in the Senate is now a united caucus.

    “We are ready as a caucus to support our administration; we are also ready as a Senate, that is both the APC and the minority parties, to work for the betterment of Nigerians. Our colleagues in the opposition have always been supportive and being there for the Senate to function.” he added

    The whole development, he said, is to ensure that the government delivers on its campaign promises to Nigerians with the executive and the legislature working hand in hand.

    “So that our campaign promises become real and available to all Nigerians for the betterment of the country,” he said