Budget padding: Reps in rowdy session over move to suspend Jibrin …embattled lawmaker gives condition for appearing before Ethics Committee
The plenary of the House of Representatives on Wednesday became rowdy following the protest by some sympathisers of the sacked House Chairman on Appropriation, Abdulmumin Jibrin, who felt a member had moved a motion to suspend Jibrin.
Trouble started after the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, Emmanuel Orker-jev, raised a point of order.
He was recongnised to speak by the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara.
After welcoming his colleagues back to plenary, Orker-jev urged them to disappoint journalists, who had predicted a rowdy session by allowing peace to prevail in the chamber.
He asked for and received permission to move a motion, citing a breach of the privileges of the House as well as that of members.
The lawmaker noted that the House had come under heavy attack by the allegations of budget padding being made by a member.
At this point, all eyes were on Jibrin, who was dressed in a white flowing gown as he stood from his seat, stepped out of the chamber and returned minutes later with a stash of documents.
Members of the internal security arm of the National Assembly kept him under close watch as some moved to protect the mace.
Orker-jev proceeded to read his motion titled, 'Breach of privileges of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, National Assembly and provisions of the Legislative House's Powers and Privileges Act, CAP, L12, LFN'.
Things went on smoothly as members listened attentively until he got to the point where he mentioned Jibrin's name.
Some lawmakers, believed to be members of the Transparency Group, started shouting, 'No, no, no!', colliding with shouts of 'Dogara, Dogara, Dogara' as pro-Dogara members began to distribute green scarves with the inscription 'I stand with Dogara' boldly written in white.
Some tied it on their heads; others hung it on their shoulders, while others tied it to their waists.
The rest of the motion was drowned in the noise which followed.
When a relative calm was restored after about 20 minutes, Dogara told his colleagues that copies of the motion would be distributed.
He, however, said he would read the only prayer of the motion, which was to refer the matter to the Ethics and Privileges Committee for proper investigation.
The committee was given one week to submit its report.
At this point, another member, believed to be Jibrin's supporter, Aliyu Madaki, raised another Point of Order amidst protests from other lawmakers.
Dogara, nevertheless, recognised him after jokingly telling him, 'You are reaping what you sowed. When others were speaking, you did not allow them.'
Madaki then went on to explain that Orker-Jev's motion was not seconded before it was referred to the committee, but was overruled.
The motion was, however, passed and referred to the ethics and privileges committee.
Jibrin could be heard saying, 'I won't get a fair hearing' a couple of times.
This was happening at about a time when a group of protesters, under the aegis of the Coalition in the Defence of Democracy, staged a protest at the main entrance of the National Assembly, demanding Jibrin's immediate suspension.
Convener of the protest and President of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Imo Ugochinyere, said the protest was organised to defend the integrity of the National Assembly.
He alleged that there was a plot to destabilise the National Assembly using the sacked appropriation committee chairman.
'Despite knowing the powers of the legislature in appropriation as provided in sections 59, 81 and 82 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, Hon. Jibrin obliged himself to negative democratic influences, who are willing to go the extra mile to derail democracy,' he said.
Earlier, Dogara in an address of welcome he read during plenary, stated that the leadership of the House had exercised great restraint in the face of consistent attacks and unsubstantiated allegations of wrongdoing by Jibrin.
He said the events of recent weeks gave cause for grave concern and posed existential threats to the corporate integrity and image of the House as a democratic institution.
Dogara stated, 'Shortly after we adjourned for recess, our colleague and erstwhile Chairman, Appropriation Committee, embarked on a strange propaganda clearly aimed not only at the destruction of the image of some members but a systematic destruction of the institution of the House of Representatives and indeed the legislature by portraying it to the public as an irredeemably corrupt institution.
'The chief motivation for his actions, as he has said several times and repeatedly is to have the four principal officers removed from their positions and not that the truth should be known. It was T. S. Eliot, who once said, 'The last temptation is the greatest treason: to do the right deed for the wrong reasons'.
'Unfortunately, T. S. Elliot didn't tell us what it is when someone does the wrong deed for the wrong reasons. These wild allegations, which were initially directed at four members of the House leadership, progressively engulfed the entire membership of the House and then the institution.'
The Speaker added, 'We chose the part of maturity by maintaining great restraint in the face of all these, fully conscious of the fact that at the appropriate time, the truth will prevail. I have bad news for those who think they can pull down this institution of the people.
He stated that members were also patriotic enough to understand the mood of the nation and the critical and sensitive matters of urgent national importance deserving of immediate attention.
Dogara said, 'We will, therefore, not be distracted by any insidious antics, however well orchestrated and falsehoods however cleverly propagated to confuse Nigerians. We remain accountable to Nigerians for our conduct as public servants.
'This is not the appropriate venue to address allegations made against individual honourable members, many of who are criminal in nature, as there are constitutional avenues for that.
'This is more so that these matters are before all the security agencies and ridiculously before some foreign missions.'
Meanwhile, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, has said that he will not appear before the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges if the hearing is not public.
He said this in a statement on Wednesday after the House resolved to investigate him over his budget padding allegations against four principal officers, including the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara.
Jibrin argued in his statement that the decision to refer the matter to the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges was part of a plot to derail the ongoing external investigation by anti-graft agencies.
He said, 'The grand plan is to dilute the ongoing external investigation by the police and EFCC and use the Ethics Committee for a soft landing.
'I have said repeatedly, I stand by my allegations and will continue this struggle to expose the 2016 budget fraud and corruption in the house even if I am alone,' he said.
Jibrin further said that internal investigation of the matter would imply making the Speaker a judge in the case.
'I completely disagree with this approach because it will mean that the speaker is superintending over his investigation and that clearly makes him a judge in his own case.
'The allegations I raised are too grievous to be reduced to such process (that is) open to manipulation and tele-guiding.
'I will, therefore, continue to cooperate with the anti-graft agencies which are already investigating the matter and will also proceed to build a massive coalition with Civil Society Organisations and other well-meaning Nigerians.
'This is to ensure that this matter is not swept under the carpet.
'Since I can substantiate the allegations I raised with cogency, I will take up the opportunity provided by the Ethics Committee to state my case under the condition that the hearing will be public.
'And will allow the Press, CSOs, NGOs, NLC, ASUU, NANS, NBA and the general public to witness the entire proceedings.
'This is the only way that I can have the comfort and confidence that the proceedings, the investigations and the outcome will not be manipulated or compromised.
'I am ready to appear before the committee even today if the proceedings will be public.' - Punch, NAN.