2019: Oyegun, APC senators meet amid strained executive-legislature relations

Senators of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) held a meeting on Wednesday.

APC Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, was at the meeting held at the Hearing Room One of the senate.

Addressing journalists shortly after the meeting, Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan, said the meeting centred around “happenings” within the party.

“The All Progressives Congress (APC) visited us this afternoon and we held about three-hour meeting and this is simply the father visiting his family. You know that the senate has APC majority and the APC National Working Committee wanted to have an interaction with APC senate caucus and it was a big privilege for all of us and an opportunity as well to discuss with our leaders.

“The purpose of that meeting was to review the happenings in the party across the country at all levels of government. We as members of the National Assembly would remain and continue to be committed to ensuring that we continue to support the change agenda of this current administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari.

“The party is the platform for all of us (legislature and executive). For in my view, the party has done so well by coming. Senators took turns to express the ways out of some of the issues that are bedeviling this party. I believe that it was worthwhile and a very frank discussion”, he said.

Lawan disclosed that the lawmakers and the NWC agreed to set up a team to interface among the various interests within the party.

“The party would soon constitute a team that would comprise of the executive, legislature, the party itself and the representation from our governors, up to 24 of them or more, with Ekiti coming to the kitty. So we are very happy as a caucus that the interaction was worthwhile and I am sure the party was also glad to be here with us this afternoon.

“Perhaps when you have everybody on the same page, then you will reduce the level of misunderstanding to the barest level.

“Even if we as politicians from time to time we have disagreements, but such disagreements should not be allowed to become a clog in the wheel of progress.”

Read also: 2018 BUDGET: Saraki issues deadline to senators

On whether the passage of the 2018 budget was part of the discussion, Lawan said the issue had already been laid to rest, though it received a mention.

“There is no impasse between the executive and the legislature, as far as I’m concerned, the budget issue has been laid to rest because the president, Muhammadu Buhari, invited the national assembly leadership and we had a discussion with the president, the issues that were halting the passage of the budget were discussed.

“And the president immediately gave a directive that the MDAs that have not submitted the details of their budget should do so immediately. However, the party will be concerned and added its voice to it but it was already a concluded case that the budget will be passed as quickly as we can.”

The Senate Leader was evasive on whether the issue of overriding the president’s veto on the divisive issue of re-ordering the election sequence was discussed.

“That is only a symptom (of crises within the party). The discussion centred on so many things including that. We are coming to a situation where that can be resolved as soon as the caucus is constituted, this kind of issue can easily be addressed

“This is our government, we shouldn’t be fighting dirty in the public. We should be able to deal with it inside our rooms or house. No political party could have no problems at all but what makes the difference is for the political party to be able to manage it. We are on top of the situation.”

 

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