The Clerk of the Bakassi Legislative Assembly, Mrs. Jesam Odu, has apologised to members of the 7th Assembly over the submission of the 2026 budget without the completion of the full legislative process, following heated exchanges during plenary on Thursday.
Mrs. Odu tendered the apology after councillors raised objections to her earlier explanation that the 2026 budget had been prepared, submitted and assented by the Chairman of Bakassi Local Government before the end of December, allegedly without second reading, committee scrutiny or public hearing by the Assembly.
Addressing the House, the Clerk said she acted based on the instructions of the Director of Budget in the council regarding submission deadlines from the supervising ministry.
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“I wish to apologise for taking the budget without the leader. I have never done anything on my own before. We work together,” Odu told the House, adding that she was under the impression that councils that failed to submit their budgets before December 31 could face penalties.
She explained that the document had not been fully concluded at the ministry and maintained that the budget submitted was a by-law, urging lawmakers to compare it with previous budget documents to determine whether there were substantive differences.
Despite the apology, several councillors rejected her explanation, insisting that the Clerk had no authority to submit or approve a budget without legislative approval.
Hon. Ene Edet (Ward 4) described the action as a denial of lawmakers’ constitutional responsibility to approve budgets on behalf of their constituencies, while Hon. Prince Mkpeti (Ward 6), the Deputy Leader of the Assembly, said the development was unprecedented in the history of Bakassi Local Government and Cross River state.
The Leader of the Assembly, Rt. Hon. Grace Bassey, ruled that the apology did not excuse what she described as an abuse of office, noting that the House had been undermined and embarrassed by the development.
She maintained that budget consideration is a collective responsibility of the Assembly and must follow due process, stressing that no individual officer could act in place of elected representatives.
The matter was subsequently taken further on the floor of the House, with lawmakers demanding corrective measures and insisting that the 2026 budget be subjected to proper legislative scrutiny before any further action.
