Senate President Bukola Saraki hit back at Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the allegation that he and the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, hijacked and padded national budgets for the four years that the party had been in power.
He also accused them of prioritizing ‘pet projects’ that profited them.
Saraki replied saying that the ‘smear campaign’ was for personal political gain.
“It is unfortunate that a man like Tinubu who had been in the Senate (though for 22 months and under a military regime) should not have a better understanding of how the legislature works,” he said saying the delays were in fact caused by ministries and agencies failure to defend budgets.
“To blame the budget delay on the Senate President or Speaker can only be mischief … playing to gallery,” Saraki said.
He demanded that Tinubu withdraw allegation that Saraki ‘sought to pad (budgets) with pet projects’.
Calling Tinubu ‘Machiavellian’ he said the senator’s rhetoric is borne of frustration of not being chosen as running mate to President Buhari.
(NAN)