More reasons have emerged on why the National Assembly could not reconvene today as earlier speculated
“Reconvening tomorrow (today) can’t happen, because it can’t achieve anything. What the president is asking for [virement] is very difficult to approve within a short period because it entails taking money from projects already appropriated for under the 2018 budget,” a source said.
Another source said “What the president is asking for is under constituency projects, which are under various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), and you know you can’t remove anything from the projects under MDAs without engaging them.
“Had it been the president came under pure supplementary budget, it would have been a different thing. But to do the virement, you need all the ministries to come and agree and the committees also need to sit with the ministries,” the source who did not want to be named said.
“Legislators are in their constituencies, while some Muslims among them have gone on Hajj. If we sit tomorrow, we can’t achieve anything. It is a very complex situation,” he added.
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Yussuf Suleimon Lasun was reported last week to have said that the House would reconvene to consider and approve the elections funds.
Senate spokesman Abdullahi Sabi (APC, Niger) could not be reached, but his House of Reps counterpart Abdulrazak Namdas (APC, Adamawa) told Daily Trust that the House was yet to agree on any date of emergency resumption to approve the elections budget.
Buhari had on July 17 requested the National Assembly to approve the sum of N242.445bn for INEC and relevant security agencies for the 2019 elections, out of which the sum of N164.1bn would be approved under virement/supplementary proposal in the 2018 budget.
It was gathered that the National Assembly was ready to approve the N164.1bn under this year’s budget, while the balance would be appropriated for in next year’s budget.
“The most important thing to say is that INEC was invited to meet with the National Assembly leadership on how the proposed budget for the 2019 elections can be speedily considered and appropriated by the National Assembly.
“Reconvening tomorrow (today) can’t happen, because it can’t achieve anything. What the president is asking for [virement] is very difficult to approve within a short period because it entails taking money from projects already appropriated for under the 2018 budget,” a source said.
Another source said “What the president is asking for is under constituency projects, which are under various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), and you know you can’t remove anything from the projects under MDAs without engaging them.
“Had it been the president came under pure supplementary budget, it would have been a different thing. But to do the virement, you need all the ministries to come and agree and the committees also need to sit with the ministries,” the source who did not want to be named said.
“Legislators are in their constituencies, while some Muslims among them have gone on Hajj. If we sit tomorrow, we can’t achieve anything. It is a very complex situation,” he added.
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Yussuf Suleimon Lasun was reported last week to have said that the House would reconvene to consider and approve the elections funds.
Senate spokesman Abdullahi Sabi (APC, Niger) could not be reached, but his House of Reps counterpart Abdulrazak Namdas (APC, Adamawa) told Daily Trust that the House was yet to agree on any date of emergency resumption to approve the elections budget.
Buhari had on July 17 requested the National Assembly to approve the sum of N242.445bn for INEC and relevant security agencies for the 2019 elections, out of which the sum of N164.1bn would be approved under virement/supplementary proposal in the 2018 budget.
It was gathered that the National Assembly was ready to approve the N164.1bn under this year’s budget, while the balance would be appropriated for in next year’s budget.
“The most important thing to say is that INEC was invited to meet with the National Assembly leadership on how the proposed budget for the 2019 elections can be speedily considered and appropriated by the National Assembly.
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