The Senate, in an emergency session, Saturday, passed a bill extending the 2022 Supplementary Appropriation Act from June 30, 2023 to December 31, 2023.

Some senators at the seating, however, expressed displeasure over the emergency session as the incoming tenth National Assembly can equally consider the bill, especially as government is a continuum.

The emergency session was happening barely 48 hours to the end of President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure.

The National Assembly had earlier extended the implementation of the 2022 Supplementary Appropriation Act from December 31, 2022 to March 31, 2023.

The excuse then was to allow full implementation of the budget, especially in the light of the 2022 supplementary budget approved in December 2022, to allow Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to utilise a large proportion of funds released to them.

Leading the debate on bill, the Senate leader and sponsor, Gobir Ibrahim Abdullahi, said that the bill seeks to amend the 2022 Supplementary Appropriation Act to extend the implementation year from June 30, 2023 to December 31, 2023 respectively.

The bill, read for the first time on Wednesday, May 24, 2023, received accelerated consideration, scaling second and third reading.

The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, in his remarks, apologised for summoning the senators for an emergency session.

Senator Ahmad Kaita, however, challenged Lawan, demanding what was so urgent about the extension of the 2022 supplementary budget at the twilight of an administration adding that the 10th Senate could continue from where they stopped.

He alleged that many senators were murmuring over the inconveniences caused them by the emergency session, adding that he had already boarded a flight when he decided to cancel it.