Buhari Intentionally Withheld Funding For 8th Assembly Constituency Projects To Spite Us, Says Bukola Saraki

Buhari Intentionally Withheld Funding For 8th Assembly Constituency Projects To Spite Us, Says Bukola Saraki

March 8, 2024 NEWS Former Senate President Bukola Saraki has shed light on why the constituency projects of lawmakers from the 8th Assembly were not funded during the tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari……READ ALSO Flashback: Buhari Administration Printed N60 Billion For March 2021 Federal Allocation – Obaseki

Saraki, who served as Senate President for the 8th Senate from 2015 to 2019, revealed that President Buhari deliberately withheld funding for these projects as a form of retaliation against lawmakers who opposed his loan requests between 2015 and 2019.

In a statement issued by his Head of Media House, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Saraki addressed the accusation leveled by the current Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, during a recent plenary session. Akpabio had criticized Saraki’s leadership for allegedly failing to secure full funding for constituency projects.

Olaniyonu clarified that President Buhari’s refusal to approve funds for the constituency projects was a deliberate move to penalize lawmakers for scrutinizing the executive’s loan requests and demanding comprehensive explanations.

Rather than acknowledging the legislature’s role in scrutinizing loan requests for informed decision-making, the Buhari administration reacted hostilely, seeking to undermine the legislature’s performance. Withholding funding for constituency projects was one of the retaliatory measures employed by the government.

Saraki emphasized that the leadership of the 8th Senate cannot be blamed for the failure to fund constituency projects, as it was a deliberate decision by the executive branch. He criticized Akpabio for politicizing the issue and urged him to approach national issues with more seriousness and responsibility.