Former president Olusegun Obasanjo has come under attack following his recent comment that the National Assembly was filled with rogues and armed robbers. Obasanjo had after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari given his opinion on the alleged padding of the 2016 budget in the House of Representatives. He said the budget padding crisis rocking the House of Reps, vindicated his position on the conduct of the lawmakers.
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| Former President Obasanjo |
In a swift reaction, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism, Senator Matthew Urhoghide (PDP, Edo South), said the Senate deserves and demands an unreserved apology from Obasanjo for casting aspersions and denigrating their individual integrity.
“I believe former President Obasanjo has premised his denigrating comment on the on-going sordid accusations on 2016 budget between Hon Abdumumuni Jibrin, the erstwhile chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations and the leadership of the House of Representatives. What is going on in the media is indeed disgraceful if actually the mentioned House members did the padding of the 2016 budget,” he said. On his part, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, the Senate deputy minority leader, said the former president had no moral right to speak on corruption or condemn others for corruption. Also speaking, Joan Onyemaechi Mrakpor, the member representing Aniocha/Oshimili federal constituency of Delta state, said if the lawmakers were rogues as Obasanjo claimed, they would have collected his gratifications and amended the constitution for his third term bid. “They would have taken the benefit of what would have come to them for amending the constitution for our father to remain in office for 12 years,” she noted
Reacting to Obasanjo’s comment, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, said the way the former president was going about the whole thing was not good. He described Obasanjo as elder statesman and a father and should act as such. “With this position in the society, he should invite the leadership of the National Assembly, raise issues with them and advise where necessary. He should be able to manage the situation by advising both the Executive and the Legislature. He is a father to all, he should not blow up issues at the moment. We all need one another for the development and growth of this country,” Anyanwu explained. On his part, Ehiozuwa J. Agbonayinma, the member representing Egor/Ikpoba federal constituency of Edo state, said calling members of the National Assembly thieves was Obasanjo’s personal opinion.
He said: “I will want him to face the real issue which is that under his watch, Chief Bola Ige and Chief Harry Marshal were killed.” Agbonayinma asked the former president who allegedly parades himself as a saint to account for the $16 billion power project fund and numerous tax payers money that were allegedly wasted during his administration. “It was under his watch that money meant for us to have constant power supply was wasted and Nigerians were shortchanged. Nigerians can attest those that are criminals, rogues and thieves and those that are not. “The former President had all the ample opportunity to make Nigeria among the leading nation but unfortunately he didn’t use the time that God has given to him to ask for forgiveness that during his time thousands of Nigerians were killed,” he added. The House of Reps has been entangled in crisis over the alleged 2016 padded budget. Following his removal as the chairman of the House of Reps Appropriation Committee last week, Adulmumin Jibrin, has been hurling accusations at the leadership of the House. He revealed how 10 standing committees secretly injected constituency projects worth N284 billion into the 2016 budget without the knowledge of the House. He also claimed that the speaker, Yakubu Dogara; his deputy, Yusuff Lasun; the whip, Ado Doguwa and House minority leader, Leo Ogor, supervised the insertion of N40billion into the budget at a secret location.
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