PDP regains majority in House of Reps

The Peoples Democratic Party has retaken its position as the party with majority members in the House of Representatives, as four members of the All Progressives Congress have defected to the former.
They include Honourable Lawan Shehu Bichi, Kano state, Sani Ibrahim Doruwa, Zamfara state, Ibrahim Shehu, Zamfara state, Umar Bature, Sokoto state, and Abdusalam Adamu, Kano state.

Even though one member defected to the APC from the PDP, that is Isah Mohammed Ashiru, Kaduna state, the PDP still took the majority.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives commenced debate of the general principle of the 2014 Budget, as members expressed mixed feelings over deficit component and other wastages.
Members who contributed to the debate expressed worry over the rising local debt, the deficit component of the budget, as well as wastages noticed in the budget proposal.

Deputy Minority Leader Suleiman Kawu said the proposed budget expenditure of N4.642 trillion was higher than the expected revenue of N3.731 trillion.
“So this budget comes with N912 billion fiscal deficits,” he said. “The estimated fiscal deficit is 83% of the proposed total capital expenditure of N1.1 trillion.
“Mr. Speaker, Hon Colleagues this is voodoo economics. Should the government fail to meet its fiscal deficit financing plan, the little capital projects in the budget would bleed till another fiscal year”.

As for Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa (Lagos, APC) expressed worry with the issue of fuel subsidy despite the turnaround maintenance of the refineries.
She expressed reservation on the N700 million proposed in the budget for an hospital in the Villa.