Had President Goodluck Jonathan turned up for the presentation of the 2014 budget proposal to a joint sitting of the Senate and Federal House of Representatives on Tuesday, he would have earned the ignominious record of being the first Nigerian President to be booed within the hallowed chamber.
This is the primary reason he failed to present the budget as expected, postponing the presentation almost when it was certain that the event would hold on Tuesday after it was first postponed almost two weeks ago.
A member of the House of Representatives, who would not want to be named, disclosed to Huhuonline.com on Tuesday evening that some members of the house had planned to hit hard at the president by exposing him to ridicule within the chamber.
“We had planned and mastered our plot, but the Presidency got wind of the plan. That was why the earlier presentation was cancelled and postponed to today (Tuesday)”, he said.
“The president thought that within the period, he would be able to calm nerves, but some of the aggrieved members of both chambers hung on waiting for him. We are still waiting, because he must come to present the budget”.
Asked why the members were aggrieved, the lawmaker said: “You cannot be fighting with the leaders of the honourable members and senators and attempt to romance them. They would fight back with whatever might they can muster.
“You remember that there are aggrieved people in the Peoples Democratic Party. These people have their sympathisers and loyalists in both chambers. The issue of the seven PDP governors is there. There is also the issue of other PDP people who are unhappy with the way things are going within the party.
“Members of the opposition are also there, remember? And they have always opposed the president, especially his failure to meet even the least of the expectations of the people.
“The man is a complete failure, and some of us are tired. You hear of massive corruption and nothing is done about it. You hear of hundreds of panel and committee reports that are lying fallow on his table. You hear of bills passed that have not been assented to. Have you heard that the president ever implemented a resolution of any of the two Houses?”
He admitted that the option of impeachment would not make sense because of the complex nature of the country, but added that “the legislators have vowed to fight the best way possible”.
The legislator also revealed that the plot would have prevented President Jonathan from presenting the budget so as to make him realise that the country is falling apart.
Another lawmaker from one of the western states of the country said the plot was to pay the president back for allegedly instigating his loyalists in the National Assembly to boo members of the breakaway faction of the PDP led by Kawu Baraje, when they visited sometime ago.
“We kept quiet then because we have our own plan. The level of embarrassment that awaited the President, and still awaits him, would have swallowed that given to Baraje and the other members who visited us. At least the President would know that he is not the only one that can play dirty politics.
He said that to avoid the shame that would come with the embarrassment, the Presidency is proposing that President Jonathan would be represented by a senior official when the Executive is set for the presentation.
“If this happens, it would be another first in the history of the nation that a representative of the president presented the budget to the National Assembly even though it is a constitutional recognition.
But reacting, spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Zakari Mohammed denied any such plan by members of the National Assembly.
