The ways and means debate had gone on seamlessly until Senator Ali Ndume began accusing the Senate of lacking powers to approve funds already spent.
There was a heated argument between Senators over the N29 trillion Ways and Means funds by the immediate past administration.
This argument began during the debate of a report submitted to the Committee of the Whole on Tuesday by the Joint Committees on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions, Finance, National Planning, Agriculture and Appropriation led by Senator Abdullahi Yahaya Abubakar (PDP, Kebbi North).
Senator Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South) stood up to make an observation, that the Senate had acted illegally by allowing funds drawn from CBN, and already expended to be brought to the parliament for approval citing relevant sections in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, and accused the Senate of lacking powers to approve funds already spent.
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Countering Ndume, Senator Mohammed Danjuma Goje (APC, Gombe Central) argued that the Senate had the power to approve.
Ndume argued that he has never been present at a plenary where the Ways and Means was approved in advance, but that the Executive was expected to provide details of the expenditures of the funds after they were used.
He noted that the report presented lacked details, saying, “Mr President, I was not part of the plenary that gave the nod for Ways and Means but the detail of funds spent was not provided. This is illegal.”
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio however, demanded information be given, stressing that the 10th Senate would not act as a rubber stamp.
Akpabio said, “We are where we are today as a result of illegal things and I think details of Ways and Means must be provided.”
STAR Check: Nigerians, particularly, constituents of Borno South district, can keep tabs on the legislative performance of Sen. Ndume throughout the 10th senate here.
