Budget padding: Falana asks Reps to suspend Jibrin’s probe

Femi Falana, a renowned legal luminary and human rights activist, has urged the leadership of the House of Representatives to suspend the ongoing investigative public hearing instituted against the ousted chairman, House Committee on Appropriations, Abdulmumin Jibrin over corruption allegation leveled against Speaker Yakubu Dogara and three other principal officers.

The 3-page petition of Falana & Falana Chambers, dated 23^rd September 2016 obtained exclusively by our Legislative Correspondent, was addressed to Speaker Dogara; Nicholas Ossai, chairman, House Committee on Ethics and Privileges and Sen. Ikechukwu Obiora, respectively.

The petitioner, Emmanuel Orker-Jev, chairman, House Committee on Rules and Business had on Fridayappeared before the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges where he tendered copies of newspaper reports and video clips of Jibrin’s statements and interviews on the allegations leveled against the Speaker and other principal officers.

After the conclusion of the first phase of the investigative public hearing flagged on Friday, Jibrin was scheduled to appear before the Committee on Monday, 26^th September 2016 by 12 noon.

However, Falana’s petition, whose petition was delivered to the Speaker’s office and Hon. Ossai’s office about two hours after the conclusion of the maiden hearing, argued that the continuation of the investigative public hearing is in violation of the provisions of Order 9 Rule 5 of the House Standing Rules and the doctrine of LIS Pendens.

Speaking before the Ethics and Privileges Committee, Orker-Jev who described Jibrin’s action as sundry act of misconduct against the institution of the House, urged the Committee to apply necessary sanctions as approved by House rules against any member guilty of misconduct.

He said that allegations made by Jibrin were false, scandalous and had impinged on the image of the National Assembly.

According to him, the allegations had lowered the national assembly to the estimation of the public as Nigerians now express disgust on the lawmakers.

“There are internal mechanisms of addressing such grievances. We need to redeem our image against allegations that oversight and public hearings conducted in the House of Representatives are riddled with corruption,” he added.

In his remarks, Ossai who declared the investigative public hearing open, disclosed the Committee’s resolve to give room for media coverage of the investigative public hearing in line with the Rules governing the affairs of the Committee.

While acknowledging that “the activities of the Committee in this assignment are being followed closely by Nigerians, as well as, the international community who are anxious to see the end of this matter,” Ossai assured that the committee will be objective in all its dealings on the matter.

Meanwhile, the ousted chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, in a letter sent to the Chairman House Committee on Ethics and Privileges who had earlier agreed to appear before the committee if the investigative public hearing will be conducted publicly, at the weekend, reversed himself as he insisted that “the Speaker Pro Tempore should constitute an Adhoc Committee to investigate these allegations in collaboration with the on-going external investigation by the anti-graft agencies.”

According to Jibrin, “this has become necessary because from some public and private comments made by the incumbent Chairman of the Ethics and Privilege Committee, he has become an interested party in the matter and his ability to be impartial is in doubt. Also some of the members, including myself, who sit as members of the committee are interested party in the matter.”

He also expressed “shock and disappointment” that the investigative public hearing was not to probe my allegations but to probe a so called breach of privilege of members and misconduct, adding that the letter written to him by the Chairman of the Ethics and Privileges “clearly indicates that mischief is in the offing.

“You are inviting an accused to appear before you without telling him his offense. You did not state how I breached the privileges of the House and Members. You did not state the name of which Member’s privileges I breached so that I can take on the Member or Members and see if they can stand corruption test. You did not state the precedents and practices that I breached. You did not state what I did that amounted to misconduct so even if I intend to attend, I can know what exactly I am being accused of and come prepared.

“Mr. Chairman, what further deepens my pessimism is the fact that in your letter, you indicated that you were inviting me to appear before your committee on Monday 26th September, 2016, but surprisingly you announced to the press that I shunned your invitation. This is clear indication that the outcome of your “investigation” is already predetermined.

“May I draw your attention to the fact that the privileges of the House and Members do not accord the former and later immunity to being exposed if involved in corrupt practices and equally exposing budget fraud and corruption does not amount to misconduct. These are all service to the nation worthy of commendation. I strongly believe that you will be doing a great service to the country if you concentrate on investigating the privileges of Nigerians that Speaker Dogara and few other members have grossly breached and further investigate the misconduct therein.

“You also did not find it worthy to investigate the grievous allegations I made against Mr Speaker and few others or even why the Speaker is yet to address all the allegations I made against him and summit himself to the security and anti-graft agencies to clear his name two months after I submitted my petitions.

“It is obvious that the Committee on Ethics cannot be impartial in dealing with this matter. I urge you and the members of your Committee not to join this grand plan against the people of Nigeria to use the House as a shield to cover a small cabal which instituted corruption in the House for their benefits. I call on you to fear God and search your conscience.

“Mr. Chairman, I am on a crusade to expose corruption in the House and push for reforms that will clean up the House for the Nigerian people. There is no going back on this and I will continue this struggle even if I end up alone. I stand on all my allegations against Mr. Speaker and 3 other Principal Officers and will pursue the matter in collaboration with the anti-graft agencies, other groups and well-meaning Nigerians until justice is served. The House does not belong to 360 members but 200 million Nigerians. Nobody can cow me into silence.

“Mr. Chairman, this is a rare opportunity for us to salvage the House once and for all for the Nigerian people. I call on you to be part of this history. Members of the House have only two option before them, to either StandWithDogara or StandWithNigerians. A stand with Dogara is a stand with fraud and corruption. I stand with Nigerians,” Jibrin maintained.