Budget: Reps to override Jonathan’s veto next week

Category: News Published on Friday, 22 February 2013 00:22 Written by Turaki A. Hassan & Isiaka Wakili

The House of Representatives will vote to override the veto of President Goodluck Jonathan on the 2013 budget if the president did not assent to the bill by next week, House spokesman Zakari Mohammed has said. Speaking to journalists in Abuja yesterday, Mohammed (PDP, Kwara), said the National Assembly was not be afraid to apply the relevant provisions of the constitution on the budget impasse.

“By next week, either he signs it or we override the veto, anyone will suffice,” Mohammed said.

He said “the budget is a property of Nigerians and unless it’s committed to law, the Nigerian people will suffer it. As representatives of the people we will do the right thing.”

On why it has taken the House too long to Act, the lawmaker said “we are not afraid to take that decision but the interface with the executive is going on.” He denied reports indicating that some changes were made at the behest of the president, saying “it is criminal to change anything in the budget without bringing it back to the floor of the House.”

He said the president refused to sign the budget because they rolled-over the capital component of the 2012 budget to April 2013 because the last quarter allocation was released to ministries, departments and agencies late December.

Senate is also meeting on Tuesday over the issue. The chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Business, Ita Solomon Enang, said the senate could not take such a decision outside plenary.