Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has refuted calls urging him to resign over the budget padding scandal.
He said this during an interview with the State House Correspondents at the presidential villa yesterday.
Speaking with journalists after a meeting of about 30 minutes with President Buhari at the Villa on Friday, Dogara said as a lawyer and old hand in the legislative affairs, padding was not an offence under any law.
Asked if he was worried by the allegations, Dogara said he was not in any way worried, adding that the burden of proof rested with Jubrin.
Below is the detail of the chat with journalists:
Journalists: What informed your visit on a Friday?
Dogara: I can’t come and see my President? Do I need any reason to come and see my President. It’s a private visit
Journalists: Was the issue of alleged budget padding discussed?
Dogara: What is budget padding?
Journalists: The language emanated from your chamber?
Dogara: I don’t know, educate me. I am lawyer and the speaker and I have never heard of the word “padding”. What does padding mean?
Journalists: Your former chairman of appropriations is saying you padded the budget?
Dogara: Ask him. He who alleges must prove. That’s the law in Nigeria
Journalists: Are you not going to defend yourself?
Dogara: Am I before a court?
Journalists: There are people saying you should reconvene the House before September resumption time and step aside for thorough investigations?
Dogara: We have rules and regulations. This is not a mock institution. We operate by rules and we will follow the rules
Journalists: Will you resign?
Dogara: Resign for what, for what?
Journalists: On the allegations?
Dogara: What is the allegation?
Journalists: That you and some members of the house padded the budget?
Dogara: What is padding? You haven’t told me. Ask Jibrin what is padding? For me, I studied law and I have been in the legislature and all this period I have never heard of the word “padding” being an offence under any law. If I don’t know, you are the media, research the law and let me know
Journalists: Are you worried?
Dogara: Worried for what? Worried over nothing. Why should I be worried. As far as I am concerned, I am not worried over anything
Journalists: Will there be sanctions for Jibrin?
Dogara: I am not the chairman of Ethics committee of the House, so I wouldn’t know and I don’t know what padding means.