President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday welcomed returning members of the National Assembly to their job, enjoining them to cling to their social contract with Nigerians on good governance rather than giving themselves to extreme party politics.
The president also reiterated his commitment to his promise to ensure early submission of budget estimates for early passage so that implementation can begin right at the start of a new year.
Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Affairs, Senator Joy Emodi conveyed the president’s message in a statement issued on Tuesday to welcome Senators and members of the House of Representatives after eight weeks of recess.
“Distinguished senators and honourable members should hold fast to their mindset that they have a social contract with Nigerians to deliver on good governance and partner with Mr. President to transform Nigeria and is right on track,” a part of the statement read.
“This social contract transcends partisanship. Therefore, party politics and intrigues should not be allowed to creep in to blemish the great work they have done so far.
“Party platforms and intra-party interests may differ, but their social contract with the Nigerian people remains the same. It is a contract that overrides party politics. The total loyalty and commitment of members of the National Assembly should as always, reside with the Constitution and the Nigerian people who elected them in the first place. Party lines must be blurred, while the overall national interest must be accentuated.”
Emodi expressed displeasure with the mischief of those bent on overheating the polity by flying kites of imminent crises in the National Assembly and looming squabbles between the Executive and the National Assembly.
“I want to state categorically that such only exist in the realms of the imaginations of the peddlers. The stories are unfounded, fictitious, and fabricated to heat up the polity,” the statement added.
“Such vendors of instability and disaffection are certainly not in tune with the overwhelming mutual support and efforts of the Executive and Legislative arms towards the speedy actualization of President Goodluck Jonathan Administration’s Transformation Agenda to give Nigerians a better deal for their votes and the nation’s immense resources.”
