Uwazurike faults doctrine of necessity, flays Mohammed over development claim in South East

Former President of Igbo think tank group, Aka Ikenga, Chief Goddy Uwazurike has faulted the argument that President Muhammadu Buhari could apply the Doctrine of Necessity on the appropriation bill for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the 2019 elections currently before the National Assembly.

Uwazurike said the country’s Constitution made no provision for doctrine of necessity except as stipulated in section 82.

“The President has the responsibility of presenting a proposal to the National Assembly seeking a budget approval.

The bill and its process must be timely.

“The proposal presently before the National Assembly is a virement and not a supplementary bill.

The timing of the request is horrible in that it conflicted with the annual vacation of the members.

“Some are abroad and some others are on pilgrimage to Mecca.

Are you going to reconvene during the Sallah holiday or immediately after? The Majority Leader, Ahmed Lawan moved the motion for recess.

“The leadership has an annual calendar and the Presidential liaison Adviser knows that. But the biggest obstacle here is that the virement seeks to take money from the constituency project in an election year.

Which legislator will accept that? The legislators want to show their constituents that they are working and you want them to agree to that?

“Impeachment of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki had been a preoccupation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) but I think it is a wild goose chase,” he stated.

Uwazurike also decried the Minister Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, over his claim that the government has spent N16.5b on development projects in the Southeast, saying: “Is it possible that Mohammed forgot that the area of work is the home of some people who see the desolate site everyday.”

He further flayed the government over the arrest, trial and detention of the 127 women in Imo State.