TheCable

Ike Ekweremadu, deputy senate president and Godswill Akpabio, senate minority leader, were not among principal officers of the national assembly who met with President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday night.

The meeting, which was at the instance of the leadership of the assembly, took place 48 hours after the president rejected the amended electoral act bill sent for his signature by the assembly.

The non-passage of the 2018 appropriation bill by the national assembly was said to be one of the top items on the agenda of the meeting.

On November 7, 2017, Buhari laid the 2018 budget proposals before the assembly with the hope that the appropriation bill might be passed on or before the end of 2017.

However, the lawmakers had accused some cabinet ministers of failing to appear before them to defend their ministries’ budgets.

Those who attended the meeting include the Senate President Bukola Saraki, Yakubu Dogara, speaker of the house of representatives, and Ahmad Lawan, senate leader.

Others attending the meeting are Mustapha Boss, secretary to the government of the federation, and Abba Kyari, chief of staff to the president.

Ita Enang and Kawu Sumaila, the two senior special assistant to the president on national assembly matters, were also in attendance.