The Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara, on Thursday said those calling for his prosecution for his alleged involvement in the fraudulent manipulation of the 2016 budget were doing so out of sheer ignorance.

Mr. Dogara said the laws governing the National Assembly accorded all lawmakers a great degree of immunity from prosecution on the basis of exercising their legislative functions.

“It doesn’t even make sense and they have forgotten about Section 30 of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, and others” which says “most of the things we do in the National Assembly are privileged,” Mr. Dogara said.

“They cannot be grounds for any investigation on the procedure or proceedings to commence against a member of parliament, either the Speaker or the President of the Senate, once they are done in the exercise of their proper functions.”

“The Constitution talks about the estimates of revenue and expenditure to be prepared and laid before the National Assembly. The constitution did not mention the word budget. And the reason is very simple. Budget is a law.

”Going by very pedestrian understanding of law which even a part one law student can tell is that the functions of government is such that the legislature makes the law, executive implements and the judiciary interprets the law,” Mr. Dogara said.

“The budget being a law, therefore, means it is only the parliament that can make it because it is a law. And I challenge all of us members the media and civil society organisations to look at our law and tell me where it is written that the president can make a budget,” Mr. Dogara said.

Mr. Dogara’s comments came while accounting for his one-year in office at a forum organised by Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre, a public policy think-tank, in Abuja.

Mr. Dogara, who has faced growing calls for him to resign from office following allegations of budget fraud, said ignorance of legislative duties on the part of some citizens was to blame for the outrage against lawmakers’ role in the 2016 budget.

He said that the National Assembly would now embark on a massive sensitisation of the public about the duties of the legislature in a constitutional republic.

“Recent efforts seeking to discredit the document are a consequence of inadequate knowledge of the legal framework governing appropriation in a presidential democracy.

“This has, nonetheless, opened a new vista of duty for us as a legislature to enhance both internal competences of Members as well as the sensitisation of the public on the role of the legislature in a presidential democracy,” Mr. Dogara said.

Mr. Dogara said the 2016 Appropriation Bill was not entirely perfect in the form it was forwarded to the legislature by the executive, saying lawmakers carried out extensive work on the document to make it acceptable.

“The 2016 budget was controversial from the onset but the House handled the controversy with maturity, employing the democratic tools of dialogue, compromise and consensus by which an implementable 2016 Budget was passed and assented to.”

For three weeks running, Mr. Dogara had been locked in fierce political and media war with Abdulmumin Jibrin, a Kano lawmaker who was removed as chairman of House Committee on Appropriation.

Mr. Jibrin said the speaker masterminded the insertion of fictitious subjects into the budget, an allegation Mr. Dogara denied.

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/208481-budget-padding-dogara-talks-tough-says-efcc-others-cant-probe.html?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter

This is another corruption case that will be swept under the carpet in no distant time like herman hembe-gate,facrook lawal-gate and other gates committed by lawmakers in the country.

Mr. Dogara said the laws governing the National Assembly accorded all lawmakers a great degree of immunity from prosecution on the basis of exercising their legislative functions.

“It doesn’t even make sense and they have forgotten about Section 30 of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, and others” which says “most of the things we do in the National Assembly are privileged ,” Mr. Dogara said.

So Nigerians should accept constituency projects as legal insertions because you guys are lawmakers

Really..Dogara see as I dey look you so? For your mind na you get sense pass.. Corrupt lawmaker.

That kind of talk comes from only a man whom the Commander in Chief (the dullard) has personally given assurance of safety against all odd. Fantastically corrupt people claiming to be saints.

What insolence and obscene arrogance.
With this statement from Dogara, the die is cast and it's just a matter of time before he goes down. President Buhari made a grave blunder by allowing the politics of the national assembly in the hands of corrupt and arrogant elements like Dogara.

One fundamental fact have been proven by this regime-redefining corruption by shielding all cases of overt corruption.Hence PDP now pale into insignificance as far as APC is concerned.Buhari have proved that he belongs to some people.So he should stop all his ongoing anti-corruption charade & never mention corruption to our hearing again.As for Dogara & all other established criminals in Nigeria,God will handle your cases for us.

religion kills!!! if you want to remove him now, they will complain, buhari want to islamized the nation, but hear a xtian defending corruption!!!

Wow... The kin mouth wey politicians get for this country eehhh..... I tire ooooo....

Hin pad budget still get mouth dey talk, politicians go dey EFFC net still dey negotiate how much loot they would cough out

i see
buhari got ur back

Diz one dy use jazz

Dogara has technically admitted that jibrin allegations are true.

Immunity to commit crime and conspire to loot? This man shouldn't insult the intelligence of Nigerians.

All this tough talk till EFCC arraign you to court.

What a shame!

process of calling this yam eaters back through their constituents just too cumbersome otherwise.......

Bubu come and see corruption fighting back

The law was definitely made for the weak and poor masses....

Imagine people openly saying they are thieves and nothing will happen....

At the end of the day we go say na God go help us. Na God go arrest am?

Dogara is being more popular for the wrong reasons..

No worry, it's not an offence as your professor president insisted

In National Assembly is more about:
Their pockets not the people,
Apc men stealing without impunity, the painful thing is that the case will died like all those naija issue.

In Gej voice...

Dogara don dey chop liver ohhh....guy dat was a jelly fish before...

I thought Bubu govt is intolerant of rants of such gravity on part of top officials in govt but how com Dogara have the Gods to spit trash in his face? Does it mean he is no longer the anti corruption Master? how com even saraki and ekweremadu re still in govt despite corruption and forgery charges against them? it is just to glaring that Buhari is afraid of this people due to his defect in having certificate, they can impeach him at anytime.

And wat is our so called corruption fighter president saying or doing?


Over to zombies especially sweetmelon

why he no go talk tough when Ipob don adopt him, Abeg mr Dogara you are free to pad their destiny too

let's change the change, Vote Malam ABUBAKAR MUSTAPHA As PDP National Secretary to slay the devils and bring back our lost glory.

With idiotz like these at the helm of affairs, I dont see this country getting any better soon. So much needs to be changed!

What's tha business?

hmmmm our politicians with this their different ways of twisting our laws. this further proofs that once you are a politician and you obey your leaders you are definitely above the law. if it's Saraki I'm sure the AGF would have filled a case in the court on the matter

"I'm covered with legislative immunity. No court can order my arrest...." Yakubu Dogara. Only 74 people have immunity in Nigeria of 180million population.....number one The President and the vice then The 36 state Governors and their deputies

"We will not sanction Dogara and Jubrin over padding"- APC LOL...They're both right bah? Yes it is black, Yes it is white! Irresponsible!

Legally, he has a point. Jibrin seems to be fighting a lost battle.

EFCC can't probe you sir, you have Mr. "integrity" behind you. Enjoy yourself and continue padding.

If it were to be a PDP member....... Anti corruption my foot.