The
Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs has released a statement replying
the former Chairman of APC over his statement about the senate and the missing
2016 budget. While speaking at an event in his home yesterday, Akanda said that
the missing budget was an indication of the indiscipline that produced the
leadership of the senate. The statement from the Senate after the cut...
The
Senate today (Saturday) responded to the statement by the former interim
National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande in
which he described the claim that the 2016 budget was missing from the upper
legislative chamber as an indication of the indiscipline that produced its
leadership.
The
Senate said it was regrettable that a man of Akande's status would be
responding to mere speculation without cross-checking his facts or worse still
eager to latch on to any opportunity to bring to disrepute the leadership of
the Senate because he failed to get his choice candidates elected.
In
a statement by its spokesman, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, the Senate urged
Akande to check his records properly so that he could see that "at no time
did the Senate say the 2016 budget was missing".
Rather,
Abdullahi noted that the legislative house had insisted in several official
statements and press interviews by its principal officers that the budget was
not missing but that two different versions are now available.
"We
have said it several times that the budget was not missing. That two versions
of the details of the budget exist and this is no longer in doubt as the
Presidency has equally admitted this.
"We
expect a man of Akande's calibre to cross-check his facts and take us up on our
words. That he decided to ignore the facts and make comments on speculations is
regrettable. He is a man who had served in government. He is a leader of the
party with the majority in the Senate and he has several channels of
cross-checking facts as against speculations.", Abdullahi stated.
The
spokesperson said contrary to the description of what happened as indiscipline
on the part of the leadership, the position of the present Senate leadership is
a demonstration of the regime of openness, transparency and accountability that
now reigns in the upper legislative chamber. In the past, he said, such a
development would have been swept under the carpet.
He
noted that the statements by Akande was another expression of the frustration
that the former Governor of Osun State suffers for not being able to impose his
lackeys on the Senate as leaders.
"Chief
Akande is still sulking after his group's failed attempt to impose certain
individuals as the leaders of the Senate last year. So, he was in a hurry to
condemn the leadership. We want him to know that the leadership of the Senate
can only emerge through the provisions of the constitution and the standing
rules of the institution. As a democrat, Akande should know that once the
majority has elected the leadership, all parties to the contest ought to accept
the decision.
"To
continue belly-aching and working to undermine the institution because of the
failure to get one's choice candidates elected cast doubts on his democratic
credentials. It appears he is only a democrat when he has his way. We advise
him to move on and let us help the legislative institution to focus on its
agenda to serve the people in line with the much needed change that President
Muhammadu Buhari promised the nation..", Abdullahi stated.
Signed
Senator
Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi
Chairman,
Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs
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