We don’t want Crisis between the Executive and the Legislature – Presidency

The presidency has dismissed media reports that it rejected the 2016 budget as false after the Vanguard newspaper reported on Sunday that President Muhammadu Buhari refused to sign the budget because certain projects had been removed by the national assembly.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Ita Enang, on Monday told journalists in Abuja that the reports were untrue.

He said the President merely sent the budget to ministries in order to get feedback from them before signing it into law.

“The president received the budget and convened an emergency Federal Executive Council meeting.

“He gave each of the ministers, departments and agencies the opportunity to look at the details as submitted by the National Assembly.

“This is to enable him get opinion on the state of the budget to enable him take a decision.

“The exercise was conducted on Friday and it is ongoing by the different ministers and ministries,” he explained.

Enang said Buhari is still within the time frame allowed by law to sign the budget.

“The constitutional time frame for Mr President’s receiving and considering the budget began on Friday last week.

“The question has not arisen as to returning or otherwise.

“But I want to say the best way we as liaison officers are handling this matter is to speak less and work more, creating interactions.

“So, we will raise more interactions, consultations, engagements.

“There is nothing for the country to worry about, because we do not want to have crisis between the Executive and the Legislature, and it would not arise; this is one government,” he said.