Budget: PDP to mediate in Jonathan, N’Assembly rift

President Goodluck Jonathan

THERE were indications on Monday that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party would be intervening in the lingering face-off between President Goodluck Jonathan and members of the National Assembly over Jonathan’s refusal to sign the 2013 budget.

Already a meeting for that purpose has been scheduled to hold at the Aso Rock Villa on Wednesday (tomorrow).

To attend the meeting,We learnt, were members of the PDP National Assembly caucus and members of the party’s National Working Committee.

The PDP National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur is expected to lead the NWC members to the meeting.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh, confirmed the meeting but said it was not called to discuss the budget.

He said if in the course of the meeting the issue of budget was raised, it would be discussed.

Metuh told journalists in his office in Abuja that the PDP had confidence in the ability of Jonathan and the leadership of the National Assembly to jointly settle the budget matter if there is any area of disagreement.

He said, “We believe that having been elected into the offices, the members of the National Assembly have done well with a good budget, but the President has the mandate, which he holds sacred, giving to him by the entire country, to ensure that whatever budget he would sign would satisfy the yearnings of the entire country and its people.

“He must take time to look at this budget. If there are grey areas, we must allow both the executive and legislature the opportunity to iron it without creating tension.”

But a Presidency source, who spoke to one of our correspondents, also aconfirmed the meeting and said it was primarily called to resolve the face-off between the President and the national assembly.

He said, “The President won’t sign the budget until all the areas of disagreements are properly addressed. He will be meeting with the party’s caucus in the National Assembly on Wednesday at the villa.

“Members of the party’s NWC are also expected at the parley. The budget issue will definitely take the centre stage at the meeting. Issues bordering on affairs in the party will also be discussed.

“It is expected that the NWC led by the National Chairman, Dr. Bamanga Tukur, will intervene in the disagreement at the meeting.

“You will recall that Tukur was recently quoted as saying that the party is superior to any public office holder. He may use the meeting to impress this point more on the lawmakers and the executive.”

The face-off between the National Assembly and the Presidency over the 2013 budget has deepened with Jonathan insisting that he will not sign the budget.

Investigations on Monday showed that in spite of the threat by opposition lawmakers to override Jonathan’s veto, the President insisted that all grey areas of the budget must be resolved before @ would append his signature.

We had exclusively reported on February 6, 2013, that Jonathan was withholding assent to the budget because of the inclusion of constituency projects by the National Assembly.

Out of 109 senators, there are 35 opposition members. The House of Representatives has over 160 opposition members out of 360.

Investigations on Monday showed that while the Presidency was insisting that the padding of the budget by the National Assembly was unacceptable, the lawmakers were also resolute on the issue of their constituency project funds.

It was learnt that members of the Executive Council of the Federation and heads of parastals and departments had been warned on the danger of accepting unnecessary budgetary inflation.

It was gathered a minister in charge of strategic ministry bluntly refused to defend additions into the budget for his ministry on the grounds that they did not make economic sense.

The minister was also said to have warned all other parastatals under the ministry to resist any move to include such indefensible figures in the budget.

It was further learnt that several ministers, who had read the body language of the President and indeed the prevailing position on the issue of the budget are also being careful.

A source close to the President said that Jonathan might be left with no option but to send the budget back to the National Assembly.

However, the source did not rule out the possibility of a last-minute resolution of the issues in contention between the President and the National Assembly.

It was stated that the leadership of the Senate and the House of Representatives are intensifying negotiation with the Presidency on the issue.

The President is said to have queried the N63bn added to the budget and the increase of the oil benchmark from 75 dollars to N79 dollars.

The extra four Dollars is being set aside to execute purported constituency projects by the lawmakers.