9trn Loan: Osinbajo Meets Saraki, Dogara, APC Govs
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday met with Senate President Bukola Saraki, Speaker Yakubu Dogara and five state governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
LEADERSHIP gathered that the meeting may be connected to the request by the Presidency for a foreign loan plan of $29.96 billion, the brewing crisis in the party as well as lopsided appointments in government
President Muhammadu Buhari had met with Saraki three times within a space of one week as part of moves by the executive to reach a truce with the legislature over the loan.
President Buhari had forwarded requests to the National Assembly to approve external borrowing plan of $29.960billion for execution of key infrastructural projects across the country between 2016 and 2018.
The president also requested the virement of N180.8 billion in the 2016 budget for the provision of needed votes for some sectors.
However, the senators had unanimously thrown the president’s request because, according to them, the letter conveying it was not accompanied by the stated borrowing plan
After yesterday’s meeting which lasted over two hours, the governors declined to speak to State House correspondents.
Saraki initially declined to make comments on the outcome of the meeting, saying that the office of the vice president would issue a statement on the meeting, but when prodded further, he said: “It’s all for good governance, inclusion and collaboration with all arms. The states are here, National Assembly executives just came up with ideas on how to make things work even better, that’s all.”
Governors that attended the meeting include Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara), Rochas Okorocha (Imo), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Sani Bello (Niger) and Jubrilla Bindow (Adamawa).
