Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has waded into the controversy over the allegation of budget padding by the leadership of the House of Representatives, and has called for the investigation of the lawmakers.

The former president made his position known to journalists after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, whom he advised to be careful with the lawmakers.

Obasanjo said the allegations buttressed his statement that the National Assembly is made up of a bunch of corrupt lawmakers.

A member of the House of Representatives and former Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Abdulmumuni Jibrin had accused the House principal officers, including the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, of having attempted to pad the 2016 budget with 40 billion Naira constituency projects.

Also, Executive Director, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) Adetokunbo Mumumi has described the issue of budget padding as an “attempt to defraud the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria” which he said is an offence.

He called for the investigation of those involved in the budget padding by an independent anti-graft agency, to ensure nothing is swept under the carpet, saying the legislators misunderstood the roles they operate in their offices.

He further called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,(EFCC) as a matter of urgency to step in now and investigate the padding allegations.