Budget controversy: It was padded, says Omale

As the controversy over the padding of the 2016 budget continues to rage, there are indications that lawmakers would dig deeper to unravel what actually transpired when they resume from recess.

Former chairman of the House Appropriation Committee, Mr Abdulmumini Jibrin had two days ago after his removal from the position alleged that four principal officers of the House, Speaker Yakubu Dogara, his deputy, Sulaimon Yussuf Lassun, House Minority Leader, Mr. Leo Ogor and the Chief Whip, Ado Doguwa, influenced him to pad the budget to the tune of N60b.

But Ogor has dismissed the allegation saying, “I think this is coming from somebody who is a little bit upset, who doesn’t know his left from his right. But I don’t want to go into altercation with him.

“At the appropriate time, when we resume on the floor, we will speak, but I can assure you that they are all a bunch of lies and there is nothing in it.

A member of the Appropriation Committee, Mr. Hassan Omale, who gave a hint of the plan to unravel the truth about the whole issue told The Guardian yesterday, that the House would not sweep the whole allegation under the carpet.

He admitted that the 2016 budget was actually padded before President Muhammadu Buhari rejected it.

Omale, who represents Ankpa/Omala/Olamaboro federal constituency of Kogi State however, said the issue relating to the padding of the budget was later ironed out by both the presidency and the national assembly before President Buhari appended his signature to the N6 trillion worth budget.