Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara and Former Chairman of the House of Representatives’ Appropriation Committee, Abdulmumin Jibrin
Niyi Odebode, John Ameh, Adelani Adepegba, Friday Olokor and Leke Baiyewu
There are strong indications that moves by the All Progressives Congress to resolve the crisis in the House of Representatives over budget padding have failed.
SUNDAY PUNCH gathered that a former Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Mr. Abdulmumin Jibrin, was insisting on investigations of the petitions he submitted to security agencies.
The party, it was learnt, after the meeting it held with Jibrin on Tuesday, had been appealing to the lawmaker to withdraw his petitions so that the crisis could be handled as “a family affair.”
It was, however, gathered that while the former chairman of the appropriation committee had yielded to the party’s request not to discuss the issue in the media, he had not agreed to withdraw his petitions.
The APC, in a letter to the former appropriation committee on Thursday, directed the lawmaker to stop “transmitting an opinion on the matter to the public” adding that it was, “looking into it towards finding possible solution.”
But a chieftain of the party, who confided inSUNDAY PUNCH, said Jibrin told party leaders that since the Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara, said padding was not a crime, security agents should be allowed to do their job by investigating the matter.
The APC National Working Committee member stated, “We are still trying to resolve the issue amicably. We have not been able to find an internal solution to the problem. Jibrin is insisting on pursuing the case.”
No going back — Jibrin
Jibrin had since Thursday stopped commenting on the allegation in the media after receiving a letter from the party leaders.
He neither picked calls made by one of our correspondents to his mobile telephone nor replied to enquiries sent through text messages.
But the lawmaker, via his Twitter handle early on Saturday made a veiled reference to a statement by Dogara on Friday that padding was not an offence.
He said that there was no going back on the crusade against budget padding in the House.
“I am carefully observing things with sealed lips while others are talking. I am with Nigerians and there is no going back on this crusade!!!”
I’ve no case to answer — Dogara
But, when contacted on Saturday, Dogara’s office said he had given his stance on the budget crisis and would stand by it.
His Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Turaki Hassan, referred SUNDAY PUNCH to an interview the speaker granted State House correspondents in Abuja on Friday shortly after Dogara met briefly with President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said, “Yes, he has already talked. I do not need to say anything again.”
When asked whether Dogara stood by his position of Friday, the media aide replied, “Yes.”
The crisis is beyond our party now — Chief Whip
The Chief Whip of the House, Mr. Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, said while the intervention of the All Progressives Congress was appreciated, the matter was strictly not a political party’s case, but about the integrity of the legislature.
Ado-Doguwa, who is one of the four principal officers accused by Jibrin, explained, “Of course, we would have always loved to respect any intervention by our great party (APC).
“But, the problem we have at hand is unfortunately not a political party’s case. It is not about Speaker Dogara; it is not also about Honourable Lasun or my humble self as the Chief Whip of the House, either. This matter is critically fundamental as it relates to the institutional integrity of the House of Representatives and National Assembly at large. You must therefore, understand that it is not purely an APC business.
“We would certainly have our hands tied in the event where the APC comes up with any so-called ‘political solutions’ that may contravene our institutional legislative codes.
DSS still guards appropriation office
At the National Assembly, the secretariat of the Appropriation Committee was still guarded by operatives of the Department of State Services.
The operatives have laid siege to the office in the last seven days.
They moved in soon after Jibrin submitted his petitions to the EFCC and also visited the DSS’ headquarters in Abuja.
Police to send fresh invitations, as Dogara, Jibrin fail to appear
It was learnt that both Dogara and Jibrin did not honour the invitation to appear before the police team investigating the allegations on Friday.
Culled from Punchngr.com
No comments:
Post a Comment