The Senate on Thursday, said the allegation by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) that each member of the National Assembly collected N100 million from the executive arm of government as subsidy palliative was strange, ludicrous and unthinkable.
The NLC had alleged that the executive arm gave each of the 469 federal lawmakers N100 million as palliatives.
The National Assistant General Secretary of the NLC, Christopher Onyeka, had in an interview with a newspaper, (not THISDAY) recently, alleged that the executive arm of government gave the National Assembly N70 billion with each member receiving N100 million.
The House of Representatives had earlier denied the allegation.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Yemi Adaramodu, equally denied the allegation in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja, on Thursday.
He said, “What do these negative characters want to gain from their lies and falsehood against the National Assembly? This is strange to us, very ludicrous and unthinkable.
“There is no N100 million for a legislator anywhere. From which budget is this coming from? How, where and when?
“This is another satanic ploy of a miserable gang of media and political dark angels, to bring the Nigerian parliament into disrepute and pitch the legislators against the Nigerian public.
“We believe that the public is aware that popular democracy is an anathema to some unpatriotic political mercenaries, hence their systemic blackmail of the parliament, which undoubtedly is the soul democracy and sovereignty.
“We urge the public and especially, the Nigerian workers, to disregard these unscrupulous pontiffs.
“The legislators, who are chosen among the masses of the people, shall certainly be with the people and eternally for the people.”
He added: “The National Assembly shall not hesitate, henceforth to take constitutional and legal actions against these irreverent merchants of rumours and ill wills against Legislators. The National Assembly should not be taken as a political scapegoat.
“We don’t expect anything less from the NLC leadership, we only opined that they would place national interest above partisan nihilistic outbursts.
“If the Congress wishes to serve as the conscience of Nigerian workers, it must purge itself of catalytic political voyages that can truncate our democracy.
“We believe that Nigerians see this new unscrupulous advocacy as a comedy to entertain only the unsuspecting,” the statement explained.
Sunday Aborisade
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