Speaker of the House of representatives, Yakubu Dogara addressed state house correspondents after his meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.
Read Transcript of Dogara’s interview after the meeting:
Journalists: Was the issue of alleged budget padding discussed?
Dogara: What is budget padding?
Journalists: The language emanated from your chambers?
Dogara: I don’t know, educate me. I am a lawyer and the speaker, and I have never heard of the word padding, what does padding mean?
Journalists: Your former chairman of appropriation 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: For the allegation.
Dogara: What is the allegation?
Journalists: That you and some members of the leadership 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.
