Saraki: Buhari’s government treats the legislature in an unacceptable manner

Senate President Bukola Saraki has accused the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari of treating the national assembly with contempt.

He said this on Monday, while responding to the criticism of Bola Tinubu, a national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The senate president also seized the opportunity to respond to some of the allegations which Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, had earlier mae.

Shehu had said Saraki was driving Nigeria to the edge and he should be blamed for the delay in the passage of the budget for the 2019 elections.

But Saraki accused the presidency of not properly explaining issues regarding the budget before sending it for approval.

He said the legislature would not accept being treated as the “appendage of the executive.”

“No genuine leader of the legislature will be comfortable that the presidency will simply write a terse letter to the national assembly on key issues which the federal legislature is expected to later deliberate upon and give its approval,” he said.

“The Buhari administration consistently treats the legislature with contempt and acts as if the lawmaking body should be an appendage of the executive. To me, this is unacceptable.”

Saraki also alleged that the administration has sidelined key figures that helped it in gaining power.

He said: “In the same way, I find it very objectionable that many stakeholders who worked strenuously to get the administration into office have now been excluded in the government and not consulted on key decisions as necessary and expected.

“In fact, some of them are treated as pariahs. A party that ignores justice, equity and inclusion as basic pre-conditions for peace, unity and stability cannot sustain its membership and leadership.”