Saraki and Dogara say National Assembly will not reconvene because members are observing hajj and on holiday

SENATE president Bukola Saraki and speaker of the House of Representatives Hon Yakubu Dogara have revealed that the two chambers of the National Assembly will not reconvene in the immediate future because legislators are on holiday and observing pilgrimage.

At the moment, Nigeria's National Assembly is on recess but the government is pushing for it to be reconvened because it wants to remove the senate president Senate Saraki for decamping from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the main opposition the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Also, President Muhammadu Buhari has submitted a supplementary budgetary proposal to the National Assembly, which government ministers want legislators to meet and consider.

In a joint statement, Senator Saraki and Hon Dogara admitted that there were proposals to reconvene, to deliberate on the reports of the joint committees on electoral matters arising from interactions with officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec). They said that meetings needed to debate the proposals have not taken place and many legislators have also gone on hajj, making the prospects for reconvening improbable.

“The senate president, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki and speaker, House of Representatives, Rt Hon.Yakubu Dogara, have directed that we inform all senators, honourable members and the public that a date has not been set for the reconvening of the senate and the House of Representatives to consider the Inec 2019 elections budget request forwarded by President Muhammadu Buhari on July 17, 2018. The leadership of the two chambers had met and agreed to reconvene to consider the proposal this week before which a meeting between the Joint Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Electoral Matters and officials of the Inec must have held on or before Monday August 13, 2018.

“The joint committees were also expected 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. However, no such meeting had taken place yet as a result of which both Senate and House of Representatives cannot reconvene as there is no report to consider.

“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,” they said ion their joint statement. The statement was issued on their behalf by their respective spokespersons, Yusuph Olaniyonu and Turaki Hassan.