Posted by By UCHE USIM on
House of Representatives Speaker, Hon Dimeji Bankole has dismissed insinuations in some quarters that members of the National Assembly were squaring up to impeach both himself and the Senate President, Hon David mark, stressing that it will take a soothsayer to know the contents of the minds of the legislatures.
House of Representatives Speaker, Hon Dimeji Bankole has dismissed insinuations in some quarters that members of the National Assembly were squaring up to impeach both himself and the Senate President, Hon David mark, stressing that it will take a soothsayer to know the contents of the minds of the legislatures.
Bankole, while fielding questions from newsmen at the presidential lounge of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos on Wednesday said there was a cordial relationship existing within the assembly, adding that his leadership is based on the rule of law and nothing else.
'I'm not a soothsayer, but as far as I know, we are okay in the House of Representatives and the Senate as well and we will do our job as best as we can and Nigerians and our colleagues can judge us," he said.
On Federal Government's plan to merge both the Economic and financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Crimes Commission (ICPC) and the Code of Conduct Bureau as one body, the speaker said the House Committee on Anti-Corruption would debate and make recommendations to the House which would form the basis of its position.
The speaker said that until that position was arrived at, he would not be in a good position to comment on the plan.
On the passage of the 2008 budget, Bankole said plans were afoot to coerce those ministries and parastatals delaying it, to provide the information needed by the House to do so.
'For now, we have no intention of heating up the polity. We will persuade, coax, talk to who we have to talk to until that information is passed to us then we will pass the budget on time," he said. While expressing confidence in the government of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, the speaker said everything was being done to ensure that delay in the passage of the budget was totally avoided.