The supremacy battle between the Senate and the House of Representatives came to the fore again yesterday as both chambers disagreed over the venue of a joint session to receive the 2010 Budget from President Umaru Yar'Adua.
Mr. Yar'Adua is expected to present the Appropriation Bill today before the joint session of the two arms of the National Assembly in accordance with the 1999 Constitution.
While the Senators say they will not go to the House chamber to hold the joint session, the Representatives say their chamber is the appropriate place to hold the sitting as that has been the tradition in the last 10 years.
The Senate, in a statement by its spokesperson, Ayogu Eze, said that the Senate President, David Mark, has decided to host the president in the Senate chamber.
Mr. Eze argued that as President of the Senate and the chairman of the National Assembly, Mr. Mark reserves the right to decide where to host their guest.
While addressing journalists later, Mr. Eze insisted that it makes no difference where the joint session holds and that the decision of the Senate president to host the Mr. Yar'Adua in the Senate auditorium is not a supremacy battle in any form. According to him, the decision has no links with the arguments that arose sometime ago over who should preside over the joint constitution review committee.
Breaking tradition
But the House condemned the senators' position, noting that the tradition in the last 10 years is that the president presents the budget before the joint session in the House chamber.
House spokesperson, Eseme Eyiboh, told journalists that the chamber of the lower house is much bigger than that of the Senate and thus accommodates more people. According to Mr. Eyiboh, while the House has the capacity to sit close to 400 people, that of the Senate sits only about 150 people.
"It is very clear that joint sessions of the National Assembly have been holding in the Green Chamber. It is official. It is traditional because of number. How can 360 members moved into a place designed for 109 members? It is not logical.
"Now, the presidential aisle has been laid into the Green Chamber, anything different from it defies common sense and common logic.
"I will not join issue with a Senator speaking in his personal capacity. Rather, I will talk on issues of conveniences for the president and his entourage, the conveniences of Senators and the conveniences of members of the House of Representatives."
On the relationship between both chambers, Mr. Eyiboh said "There has never been the issue of supremacy battle between the Senate and House of Representatives; we've all been doing our respective jobs diligently and within the allowances of the constitution.
"And like when the Speaker addressed you this morning, he said that the Senate is working hard on the constitution amendment, which of course was alluding to the mutual respect just as the House is doing so.
"So, none of us has ever derided or undermined the integrity of the Senate of the Federal Republic. We've always seen ourselves as partners in repositioning our responsibilities.
"So, it will be some kind of a conjecture for any anybody to imagine that there is supremacy issue between the House of Representatives and the Senate. What I am saying is that tomorrow (today) Mr. President is presenting the 2010 Budget to the joint session in the chambers of the House of Representatives.
He stated further, "Budget presentation is a national assignment that deserves respect from us as a parliament; it deserves sacrifice so that the process of governance will go on hindered."
The President has the answer
On whether the Senate resolution will truncate the presentation of the budget, he said, "this also lies with the President. Because suggesting that it's not going to take place in the House of Representatives, which has always been accommodating the President's entourage, the 109 Senators and everybody, is sounding as if there is an alternative accommodation, maybe Eagle Square or the stadium because there is no any other facility in this building that would carry all these people. If it is not House of Representatives, it is going to be Eagle Square."
Mohammed Abba Aji, Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Affairs, told NEXT last night in a telephone interview that he was aware of the development. Mr. Aji, however, said that he was meeting with the leadership of the Senate and the House later in the evening to resolve the matter, adding "Please, call me around 10pm."