The Presidency has dismissed insinuation by former Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, Abdulmumin Jibrin, saying he was “blocked” from seeing President Muhammadu Buhari over his budget padding allegations against some principal officers of the lower legislative chambers.
Jibrin, who had accused some principal officers of the House of attempting to illegally insert over N40bn into the 2016 budget, had in a statement on Sunday alleged that two governors and three former members of the House were “blocking” him from meeting the President to state his own side of the story.
Former Deputy Minority leader of the House of Representatives and Senior Special Assistant to the President, Abdulrahman Kawu-Sumaila, is said to be one of those Jibrin had alleged to have impeded his effort to see the President, Punch reports.
But reacting to the report, Kawu-Sumaila said as a lawmaker, Jibrin should know the “protocol” on how to see the President.
According to the SSA, the former Appropriation Chairman had never approached him to facilitate a meeting with the President.
He said, “The way he has been going about this issue is unfortunate. He is dragging the names of innocent people into it.
“He has not approached me that he wants to see the President. If he makes a request, I will facilitate it for him. He knows the protocol.”
On his role in facilitating Buhari’s meeting with Dogara, Kawu-Sumaila said, “When the Speaker wanted to see Mr. President, he told me.
“I did my part to facilitate it. I was waiting at the office while they met. I was not at the meeting with them.
“It was after the meeting ended and the Speaker came out that I saw him off.
“The same thing would have happened if Jibrin requested to see the President.”
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