President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has announced that the Senate will next week Monday, 21st of December, 2020, hold a special session to pass the 2021 budget presently before the National Assembly.
Lawan made this known during plenary following a motion moved by the Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi (APC – Kebbi North); and seconded by the Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP – Abia South).
According to the Senate President, the delay in the passage of the budget was to allow the Appropriations Committee include a late request for additional expenditures from the Executive arm of government.
“Our Committee on Appropriation has been working round the clock. We had planned to receive the report of the Committee on Appropriations today, but there was a late request for some more expenditures from the Executive arm of Government, and we want to ensure that our Committee does work to produce a clean document, so they can’t present this document today.
“However, the Committee has said the report will be ready by weekend. Consequently, we will hold a special session on Monday, the 21st of December, 2020, just to consider and pass the budget 2021.
“This is in keeping with our legislative agenda of ensuring that the annual budget has a January to December cycle. We did that last year, and by the grace of God, we will do it again,” Lawan said.
Senate to Pass 2012 Budget Next Week
Meanwhile, the Senate on Wednesday also stepped down consideration of the Conference Committee Report 2021 – 2023 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP).
The request to step down consideration of the 2021 – 2023 MTEF report till Thursday, 17th December, 2020 was moved by the Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi; and seconded by the Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe.
Meanwhile, President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, on Wednesday swore in Stephen Odey as Senator representing Cross River North Senatorial District in the National Assembly.
The oath of office was administered at exactly 11:45am by the Clerk of Senate, Dauda Ibrahim El-Ladan, immediately after the Senate rose from a closed session to commence plenary.
With Odey sworn in, the number of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Senators now stands at 46, while the All Progressives Congress, APC, retains majority status with 63 members.
Recall Odey’s swearing in was put on hold on Tuesday following a court order by the Federal High Court stopping same.
In a suit NO: FCT/HC/BW/M/633/2020 and before Justice OA Musa of the High Court of FCT in Abuja Judicial Division, member representing Ogoja/Yala federal Constituency, Jarigbe Agom Jarighe, through his counsel Everestus U Chinedum, Esq, had prayed the court for an OLorder of interim injunction restraining INEC from issuing a certificate of return or swearing-in by way of admittance of the Dr Stephen Odey or any other person in his stead as the senator, representing the Cross River State North senatorial district, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive motion on notice.
The case is between Hon Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe and INEC, Clerk of NASS, the Senate President and Chief John Alagha.
INEC had on Sunday, December 6, declared Dr Stephen Odey as the winner of Saturday, December 5 by-election held at Ogoja for the northern senatorial zone, having polled 129,207 votes to defeat the candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Joe Agi, SAN, who scored 19,165 votes to place second.