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President
Muhammadu Buhari on Monday in Abuja met separately, behind closed
doors, with the Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara
and the Senate President Bukola Saraki.
The
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the president first met with
the Speaker before meeting the Senate President for about 40 minutes
each.
NAN
reliably gathered that the two meetings were part of efforts to address
the seeming strain relationship between the Presidency and the
National Assembly.
NAN
learnt that the meetings also discussed the progress reports on the
2017 budget proposal, Senate’s amendment of the Electoral Act and other
national issues.
The two
Presidential Aides for National Assembly Matters for the Senate and
House of Representatives, Sen. Ita Enang and Kawu Sumaila,
respectively, were earlier sighted going into the president’s office.
The
Senate President and the Speaker, who both spoke to State House
correspondents after the meetings, said they had “routine consultation’’
with the president.
Saraki said the relationship between the two arms of government was cordial.
“The
relationship is very cordial, you cannot examine (the National
Assembly) by one or two issues. That is the point I’m making. You
cannot examine (the relationship) based on NDDC or examine it based on
EFCC.
“We
have other issues like the Ministerial (names) we are going to work on
and the amnesty we will soon work on. We have the budget that is more
important, we have INEC, we have PIB, we have so many things and I
think it is a mixture of all that that should guide us.
“So, don’t let us overheat the polity.’’
On the
six months suspension of Sen. Ali Ndume by the Senate, Saraki said he
had no power to recall him as being advocated by some individuals and
groups.
Also
speaking on the outcome of his meeting with the president, Dogara
dismissed the assertion that he was in the Villa over crisis between
the executive and the legislature.
“It
baffles me when people see you visit Mr President, the assumption out
there is that something is going wrong. Nothing is wrong, it is just a
routine consultation.
“You
might look at it as crisis but I don’t look at it as crisis. You know I
have always said this that as a government our value will be the
problems we have solved.
“We
can’t be remembered for avoiding or running away from problems. It is
only when we provide solution to some of the things you refer to as
crises and we look at them as opportunities to begin anew that people
will now remember us for putting down enduring legacies.”
On the
proposed protest against the recent activities at the National
Assembly, Dogara said Nigerians were free to express their views
peacefully
He
said: “This is a democracy we are running and we have to open the space
to civil society, to everyone who feels aggrieved to be able to air
his grievances.
“So, if they have grievances against the institution of the legislature we will take it.’’(NAN)
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