Senior Special Assistant to President Buhari on National Assembly matters, Ita Enang, has declared that President Muhammadu Buhari will assent the 2017 budget despite being on medical vacation.
His position overrules that of Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, who had stated that his principal will sign the budget.
“Just so we are clear: when the time comes, everything is set, & he is satisfied, Ag. President Yemi Osinbajo will assent to the 2017 Budget,” he tweeted on Wednesday night.
But in an interview with Channels TV also on Wednesday, Enang stated that the budget would be transmitted to President Buhari who will sign it and then transfer it to acting President, Yemi Osinbajo.
He also confirmed that the Presidency received the budget on Wednesday afternoon.
“The 2017 budget will be transmitted to Mr president and the President will assent to the budget.
”The acting President is in office and when the budget is transmitted, it will go through the processes and all those other questions will answer itself,” he said.
Recall that Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said there is no decision yet on who will assent to the 2017 budget.
He said this Wednesday afternoon while addressing State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting.
Reacting to a question on whether the budget will be signed by Osinbajo or taken to Buhari in London, the minister said: “When it (the budget) is transmitted to the Presidency, that decision (on who to sign) will be taken.”
Mohammed also stated that if there were any discrepancies in the budget presented and the one passed, the executive would report to Udoma for harmonization.
Enag also said: “In respect on the budget, it was only this morning that the Minister of National Planning informed the council that the budget has been passed. He has not sent to us individually, copies of the passed budget.
“We now need to look at it against what we sent, and if there is any discrepancies, we will report back to the Minister of Budget and National Planning on harmonization.”
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