Why Yar'Adua shelved budget presentation

President Umaru Yar'Adua shelved his plan to present the 2010 Appropriation Bill before a joint session of the National Assembly yesterday in adherence to his administration's non-interference in the affairs of the other arms of government.

His parliamentary adviser, Mohammed Abba Aji, told anxious journalists in Abuja that Mr. Yar'Adua respects the doctrine of separation of powers and would not want to dabble into the differences between the senators and the representatives hence he called off the budget presentation.

He said, "The purpose of today's press briefing is to inform you that our scheduled presentation of the 2010 budget before a Joint Session of the National Assembly will not hold as scheduled; it will now hold at a later date."

He added, "We respect the separation of powers and you all know that there is a little housekeeping left to be concluded at the National Assembly. So, we are allowing them time to put their house together." Mr. Aji, a former senator, confirmed that the budget had been ready for presentation until Wednesday when a fresh row between the two chambers broke out.

Fence mending

He said he was disappointed by the development but quickly added, "I have not come here to discuss the problem of the two chambers. I don't want to speculate. I am sure they are capable of resolving their differences." He added, "It is not something that is new. These things happen in bicameral legislatures around the world, so it is not something that they will not be able to put behind them. So, we are confident that they will be able to put it behind them very soon. We are nonetheless giving them the time to do so.

A source close to his office said he was mandated by Mr. Yar'Adua to commence discussion immediately the crisis broke out with a view to resolving it. According to the source, the leadership of the two chambers refused to shift ground. In fact, the House leadership was said to be insistent that the sitting should hold in its chamber as it has always been.

Water tight security

The preparation for the president's arrival had commenced on Monday as the staff of the legislature had laid the red carpets from the basement of the main National Assembly Building, otherwise called the "White House", to the entrance of the House of Representatives chambers.

Mr. Yar'Adua was scheduled to come through the back gate of the complex which links it with the Presidential Villa.

Before the budget presentation was called off, armed security men had taken position in strategic areas of the Assembly complex as early as 7am yesterday. A combined team of security personnel drawn from the State Security Services (SSS), the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), the Nigeria Police and the Office of the Sergeant-At-Arms of the National Assembly, had taken over the complex.

But when the news came that Mr. Yar'Adua would no longer present the budget, the security arrangement was relaxed and the two chambers were opened for the day's business.

At about 10.45am, the Senate dissolved into an executive session which lasted for about one hour. Journalists were not briefed on the outcome of the closed-door session. About 15 minutes later, the House of Representatives also commenced sitting. The Speaker, Dimeji Bankole, merely announced to the members that the budget presentation had been shifted and that a new date would be announced.

An attempt by Solomon Agidani (PDP, Benue) to raise the matter was rebuffed by Mr. Bankole who said "I want to appeal to you that we will discuss the matter at the end of the sitting." They never did, and the House adjourned till next Tuesday.

Opposition lawmakers kick

However, the opposition parties in the House expressed anger at the botched budget presentation. Briefing journalists, Mohammed Ali Ndume, the Minority Leader, who doubles as the Leader of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in the House, described the development as a manifestation of lack of seriousness on the part of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) "who have always treated successive federal budgets as a charade". Mr. Ndume, who was evidently angry, described the PDP as a major threat to the nation's nascent democracy.

"This is a clear indication of the lack of seriousness on the part of the ruling party and the government. How can you have a conflict where majority in the House of Representatives and majority in the Senate belong to one party and then they wash their dirty linen outside, ignoring the importance of the attention to the lives of Nigerians? This goes too far to tell you the type of people, the type of government, and the type of party that is ruling this country."

The Action Congress leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, in his reaction, said the practice of a joint session is traditional and not statutory.

"It does not make sense to pack 469 legislators in a 250-capacity chamber.

But a member of the PDP, Ita Enang, said there is nothing in the constitution which stipulates that the president must present the budget at a joint session of both chambers of the National Assembly.

He said the joint presentation is merely a matter of convenience which should not be mistaken for the position of the law.

Mr. Enang, who is the chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, denied knowledge of any rift between the leadership of both chambers of the National Assembly leading to the shelving of the budget presentation, just as he declined to give any reason for the cancellation.