National Assembly, Executive meet over virement, others

THE approval to vire N242.205 billion for the 2019 general elections from the constituency projects under the Service Wide Vote allocation in the 2018 Appropriation Act, may set the National Assembly and the Executive on a collision course.

Though President Muhammadu Buhari had  urged the National Assembly to vire the fund from the N578.31 billion inserted by federal lawmakers for constituency projects, the National Assembly members did the exact opposite.

The lawmakers still have a statutory N100 billion, which the parties collectively agreed on.

The two chambers of the National Assembly had on resumption approved the virement of N242.205 for Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and five security agencies for the 2019 general elections.

Yesterday, the  Senate and House of Representatives were in a closed door meeting with the Executive.

Mustapha Dawaki, Chairman, House Committee, The Nation gathered, was at the State House yesterday to explain to the Presidency the approval to vire the N242 billion from the Constituency project allocation under the Service Wide Vote as contained in the 2018 Appropriation Act.

Present at the meeting were Deputy Speaker Yussuff Lasun, House Leader Femi Gbajabiamila and Senate Leader Ahmad Lawan and Senate Minority Whip Philip Aduda.

From the  Executive side were Minister for Finance Zainab Ahmed, Minister for Budget and National Planning Udo Udoma,. Director General, Debt Management Office Ms Patience Oniha and Director General of Budget Office Ben Akabueze.

Others are Senior Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly (Senate) Senator Ita Enang and Senior Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly (House) Suleiman Kawu.

Lasun, in an interview with reporters, said: “Ordinarily, this is a meeting we always hold behind closed doors. He excused reporters and security agents, saying the subject to be discussed was sensitive.

It was, however, learnt  that the meeting was to discuss the $2.7 billion eurobond and contentious virement.

The Nation also learnt that issues concerning the welfare of lawmakers viz-a -viz the impending elections  was also discussed.