A social critic in Cross River State, Chief Utum Eteng has described the issue of missing or different budgets in the National Assembly as rubbish. Chatting with The Guardian in Calabar, Eteng said, “If the House of Representative says it has one federal budget presented by Mr. President, I think its a mark of mischief for the Senate to say there are two versions of the Federal budget and I think it is a smack of blackmail.

“I think it’s a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gimmick as far as I am concerned. If budget has been sent to the Senate and even if there are two versions and they are all done by the executive, what is wrong with that? Current debate is unnecessary and uncalled for.”

Reacting to his allegation that the whole thing is a mischief from PDP, Eteng said, “In the National Assembly, especially the Senate, they are wearing the dress of APC (All Progressives Congress) but inside is PDP. From the leadership of the Senate, they are all PDP agents and that is my candid opinion.

“If the APC were in the majority, why did they not produce the Deputy Senate President. This thing is a matter of common sense and what is going on now is blackmail.