Buhari writes Senate for withdrawal of 2016 budget

The controversy trailing the 2016 national budget is true after all as President Muhammadu Buhari may withdraw the document any moment from now.
The Senate last Thursday accused the Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang of tampering with the document.
Our correspondent who spoke with the Senate source yesterday, learnt that plans by the leadership of the Red Chamber to circulate hard copies of the 2016 budget to members, may be put on hold, as the Presidency concludes plans to tinker with it.
Confirming the development to Daily Sun, spokesman of the Senate, Senator Abdullahi Sabi, said there had been communication from President Buhari to the Upper Legislative Chamber, through the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki.
Although Senator Sabi said he was unaware of the content of the letter, he, however, said it was in relation to the controversy over the 2016 budget. “My friend, I can tell you that there had been a communication from the Presidency to Senate President Bukola Saraki.
“As you are aware, I do not know the content of that letter and even if I do, I cannot tell you. We will have to wait till Tuesday (tomorrow) for the Senate President to read it during plenary. One thing I can tell you is that the letter is about the 2016 budget. I do not know if the content is about the withdrawal of the budget. We just have to wait,” Sabi told our correspondent. But when his reaction was sought, Senator Enang said: “I am to confirm that the President has sent a communication to the National Assembly on the 2016 budget.”
Saraki indicted Enang of smuggling in a doctored version of the budget.
The revelation came after an executive session that was held by Senate which lasted for about two hours. The Senate had just resumed the business of the day, when it suddenly announced that it was going into an executive session to consider the report of its Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, mandated to probe controversies over the ‘missing’ budget.
Saraki had said: “We have received the report of the Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions on investigations surrounding 2016 Appropriation Bill. Our finding is that Senator Ita Enang, the SSA to the President on National Assembly Matters printed copies on the 2016 Appropriation Bill and brought to the Senate.
“We have discovered that what he brought is different from the version presented by Mr. President. We have resolved to consider only the version presented by Mr. President as soon as we receive soft copies of the original document from the Executive,” he said.”
It was also gathered that Buhari may officially tender an apology to the Senate on behalf of Enang. Senator Sabi, did not, however, comment on it.
Meanwhile, despite its glaring decision to steer clear of the controversy over the “missing” 2016 budget in the Senate and barring unforeseen circumstances, Speaker Yakubu Dogara of the House of Representatives will tomorrow read President Buhari’s letter withdrawing the budget for amendment.
Sources in the Lower House told Daily Sun on condition of anonymity that the Speaker received the letter from Buhari on Friday evening and he will read out the communication from the President during plenary tomorrow.
The sources said the major consequence of the reading of the letter would be that the House may have to reschedule its plan to commence debate on the budget this week. The House may also have to withdraw the copies of the budget distributed among members as they are reproduced copies of the budget laid before the Senate and the House by the President.
But speaking in a phone interview with the Daily Sun, spokesman of the House, Abdulrazak Namdas, denied knowledge of any communication between the Speaker and the President.
This is even as he insisted that lawmakers will commence debate on the budget this week.
“I am not aware of the President writing the Speaker on this matter. What I can tell you is that we have distributed copies of the budget to members and we will start debating the budget this week as planned” he said.