AC Raps Lawmakers, Anenih Pleads
From Azimazi Momoh Jimoh, Abuja and Olamide Olayiwola, Lagos
AS the face-off between the Senate and the House of Representatives over the 2010 budget presentation continued yesterday, the Senate has declared that the practice of receiving budget proposals from the President in joint sessions is unconstitutional.
But former Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih, has called on the leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives to put their differences aside and receive the 2010 Appropriation Bill for timely passage into law.
In a letter addressed separately to Senate President David Mark and Speaker, House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, dated November 19th, this year, Anenih said: "What is at stake is monumental; we must protect our country, its economy and its image; we cannot be too patriotic in this matter.
"We must help to continuously justify the mandate which our people in their majority gave to the Peoples Democratic Party to serve them for four years. I must add here that it would be an irony if a legislature dominated by the PDP is the one seen to be undermining the capacity of a PDP government to deliver on its mandate."
However, the Action Congress (AC) has described as "infantile and diversionary" the bickering between the two chambers of the National Assembly over which of them should host the joint sitting for the President's budget presentation.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, the party said the "mundane supremacy fight between the Senate and the House does not show that the legislators appreciate their role, which is to make laws for the betterment of the country."
It said the fact that the bickering had already led the President to postpone his budget presentation showed that, "it is a great disservice to the suffering masses of our people who have continued to wait in vain for this do-nothing National Assembly to make laws that can improve their lives.
"Nigerian federal lawmakers are perhaps the best paid in the world, yet they are turning out to be the least productive. The only time people hear their voices are when they are involved in one scandal or another or when they are haggling over their disproportionate perks."
At a media conference in Abuja yesterday, Chairman, Senate Committee on Information and Media, Ayogu Eze described as unfortunate statements credited to National Publicity Secretary, PDP, Ahmed Alkali, to the effect that it was constitutional to receive the budget proposal at the joint session of both chambers.
Eze said: "If you notice, we have tried to refrain from speaking about what is happening at the National Assembly for the simple reason that we are making efforts and engaging ourselves to see how we can find a resolution. But I think that with some of the things we read in the papers today, it became imperative that I speak about some of the misrepresentation.
" I read where the publicity secretary of the PDP was quoted as saying that the practice of holding a joint session to receive the budget in the House of Representatives chamber was a constitutional issue.
"My first instinct was to believe that he was misquoted. I think that there is nothing constitutional about the venue of a Joint Session. It is not contained in any of our Standing Rules neither is it in the constitution. The idea of presenting the budget in a Joint Session is not in the 1999 Constitution."
Eze added: "The statements credited to him (Alkali) are not known to the 1999 Constitution, which we are operating at the moment either in Section 81 or Section 53 which speak about Joint Session.
"I think that even though the Senate has refrained from making comment in this matter, we should clarify this matter so that people will not be misled. The Constitution of the country is very clear. We all know what happened about three days ago when the Queen presented her annual address; the House of Lords is a much smaller chamber but everybody, including the much larger House of Commons had to come to the House of Lords and everybody stood up until the presentation was made."
Eze, however, stated that the Senate remained committed to resolving the crisis between the two chambers.
He urged all parties to avoid making statements that might heighten the tension already created by the face-off.
In the letter entitled, "A letter of Appeal to National Assembly on Presentation of the 2010 Budget by Mr. President" Anenih stated: "This is a letter I should never have to write, but it saddens me to hear that a minor disagreement between the Senate and the House of Representatives over appropriate venue is threatening to disrupt the presentation of the 2010 budget by President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua.
"It is my fervent hope that this disagreement would have been resolved by the time you get this letter, but should it not, I wish to appeal to you to do all in your power to subdue your peculiar interests to the higher interest of our great country, Nigeria."
"The budget presentation is one of the most important, if not the most important event in the life of any government and any nation. Apart from being a national event, which gives all Nigerians indication of how their welfare will be taken care of by the government, it is also of international significance since it is a major gauge by which trading partners and investors will determine their attitudes and relationships with Nigeria in the coming year."
"It is not an event to be trifled with. It is significantly also a major barometer by which our ruling party (the PDP), will be judged by the majority of Nigerians who elected it to power and the minority who are watching the performance of Governments across the nation," Anenih declared."
Eze said: "We are ready to follow all processes to ensure that we settle this matter in an amicable manner that will not destabilize our democracy. If that is the case, we should refrain from making comments that are unhelpful to the situation, especially comments purporting that the matter is constitutional whereas it is unconstitutional.
"It is a matter of convenience where the National Assembly sits in a joint session. I think that until such a time when the Constitution is changed, all Nigerians are bound by this Constitution."
Briefing reporters shortly after the meeting of the PDP headquaters with the leadership of the National Assembly on Thursday in Abuja, Prof. Alkali said: "Traditionally, what happens is that budget presentation is often done in the House of Representatives because it is a larger place. The Senate president presides over the entire occasion while the Speaker gives a vote of thanks.
"This is known to the Nigerian Constitution. It is also the tradition in other countries where they have bicameral legislature. So, I don't think this should take us back.
"All I know is that all of us are students of history and students of politics ...the simple thing is that there is a tradition, which is backed by the Constitution and which the Chambers are knowledgeable about. We are going to work on that line."
