Why We Can’t Reconvene NASS Now – Saraki, Dogara

The Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, have said it would be “most irresponsible” of them to reconvene the National Assembly at this point in time.

Saraki and Dogara, in a joint statement on Tuesday, explained that it would be unfair to suddenly reconvene the National Assembly from its two-month recess as some of its members may have travelled to Saudi Arabia for Hajj.

The NASS leadership specifically noted that before both lower and upper legislative chambers can be reconvened, a Joint Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Electoral Matters and officials of the INEC would have to first meet.

This, the duo said, is because the primary reason for reconvening the National Assembly prematurely was for its members to deliberate on President Muhammadu Buhari’s virement budget request for the 2019 general elections.

The NASS leadership further explained that the committees would then have to meet with the joint Senate and House Committees on Appropriations, Loans and Debts on the Eurobond loan request “after which two reports would have been ready for presentation in the two chambers.”

The joint statement signed by Saraki’s media aide, Yusuph Olaniyonu, and Dogara’s media aide, Turaki Hassan, read: “Until the committees have a ready report for the consideration of the two chambers, it will be most irresponsible to recall members from recess especially those that may have travelled to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj.”

THE WHISTLER reports that the implication of Saraki and Dogora’s statement is that the National Assembly will now have to reconvene after the Id-El-Kabir Sallah holidays which are expected to come up on the 22nd and 23rd of August.