Alleged budget padding: You’re pursuing fascist agenda, Dogara fires back at Tinubu


Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara has fired back at former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu, over the later’s allegation of budget padding against the leadership of the National Assembly, as well as attempts at frustrating the policies and programmes of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government.

Tinubu had in a statement on Sunday, accused the leadership of the National Assembly of stymieing “the APC  legislative initiatives while attempting to hoist noxious reactionary and self interested legislation on the nation”, adding that Saraki and Dogara and their ilk hijacked the Budget Process these past four years. “National budgets were delayed and distorted as these actors repeatedly sought to pad budgets with pet projects that would profit them…..”, he said.

However, Dogara in reacting to the allegations, Tuesday, said Tinubu’s assertions were in pursuit of fascist agenda “to control all levels of power in Nigeria”, adding that “Only the ignorant with dubious academic certificates will say the maker of a document has padded the document that only he can constitutionally make”.

The statement through the Speaker’s spokesman, Turaki Hassan reads in part; “We do not expect Asiwaju Tinubu to dwell on brazen mendacity, much less  murder facts and decorum in his rabid bid to justify his patently clear facist agenda of controlling all levers of power in Nigeria. Asiwaju Tinubu’s nocturnal agenda has no parallel in the history of any democracy and it is more loathsome when he throws caution to the winds and maligns government officials who are doing a yeoman’s job of stabilising the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, even in spite of political differences.

“It is on record that the Hon. Speaker has done more to stabilize this government more than Asiwaju Tinubu and his ilk whose stock in trade is scheming, manipulation and subversion especially when they feel they cannot be caught. When the history of Buhari’s administration is written by those who know the truth of what really transpired in the last four years, Asiwaju’s pretentious loyalty to President Buhari will then be exposed. 

“We won’t say more but no matter how long it may last, the truth will one day overtake lies. Perhaps,  Asiwaju is still bitter about the leadership contest for Speakership of the 8th Assembly, even though the actors have moved on culminating in Speaker Dogara magnanimously facilitating the appointment of his opponent in the race and Tinubu’s protege as House Majority leader.

“The chief cause of delay in enacting the budget is the persistent refusal or neglect of the Executive to present it in good time. For the records, in the last four years, there was no urgency or plan by the Executive to achieve a January to December budget cycle…..

“We challenge Asiwaju Tinubu to list out the Bills he claimed were not passed by the National Assembly. The oil and gas or petroleum sector is the most important and critical sector of our economy which accounts for over 70 percent of our earnings, the Executive  didn’t forward a single Bill to the National Assembly to reform and reposition the sector in the last four years even when repeatedly urged to do so by Mr Speaker in his first year in office…”.

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