By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem
Speaker of the House of Represenatives, Yakubu Dogara was in the State House on Friday where he met President Muhamnadu Buhari.
Dogara, who has been in the news over allegations of budget padding, told State House correspondents that he had no plan to resign over the ongoing crisis.
Former House committee chairman on appropriation, Abdulmumini Jibrin had recently accused Dogara and other principal officers of falsifying the 2016 budget figures for personal gains.
He said he didnt understand what Jibrin meant by padding, arguing that the onus of proof lied on the accuser.
According to Dogara, padding is not supposed to be an offence under the law.
On whether the House will punish Jibrin for all the allegations he levelled against the House leadership, he said that will be left for the committee on ethics and privileges.
Excerpts of the interview:
What informed your visit to the State House on a Friday?
I can’t come and see my President? Do I need any reason to come and see my President. It’s a private visit.
Was the issue of alleged budget padding discussed at the meeting?
What is budget padding?
The language emanated from your chambers
I don’t know, educate me,I am a lawyer and the speaker and I have never heard of the word padding, what does padding mean?
Your former chairman of appropriation, Abdulmumini Jibrin said you padded the budget
Ask him, he who alleges must prove, that’s the law in Nigeria.
Are you not going to defend yourself?
Am I before a court?
There are people saying you should reconvene the House before September resumption time and step aside for thorough investigations?
We have rules and regulations, this is not a mock institution, we operate by rules and we will follow the rules
Will you resign?
Resign for what, for what?
Over these allegations?
What are the allegations?
That you and some members of the leadership padded the budget?
What is padding, you haven’t told me, ask Jibrin what is padding? for me I studied law and I have been in the legislature and all this period I have never heard of the word padding being an offence under any law, if I don’t know, you are the media,research the law and let me know.
Are you worried?
Worried for what?worried over nothing, why should I be worried , as far as I am concerned I am not worried over anything.
Will there be sanctions for Jibrin?
I am not the chairman of ethics committee of the House so I wouldn’t know and I don’t know what padding means.
