Jibrin Fingers Omisore In Budget Padding Controversy

BEVERLY HILLS, August 15, (THEWILL) – Former House of Representatives Appropriation Committee Chairman, Abdulmumin Jibrin, has fingered Senator Iyiola Omisore, who represented Osun East in the Senate and was the Chairman of the seventh Senate's Appropriation Committee, in the budget padding controversy.

Jibrin, in a letter to the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, alleged an unholy alliance between Omisore and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, insisting that Dogara be urged to resign.

“Dogara's exit would enable the House nominate a Speaker Pro Tempore and mobilise our members to support him to take over and adjourn the House until when we are due for resumption in September,” Jibrin wrote In the letter, dated August 12.

“This will give room for consultations on the election of a new Speaker when we resume.

“His godfather is Senator Iyiola Omisore. During the build up to the appointment of Committee Chairmen, I had a terrible disagreement with him (Dogara).

“While in London, before the appointment of committee chairmen, Dogara pleaded with me to join him at a house in London. I went and I saw him seated very comfortable with Senator Omisore.

“It was there he said he was going to appoint me as chairman, Appropriations and I should be reporting to Omisore.

“I was completely shocked. A nice lunch was served; we ate and we left. At least, there are CCTVs in London. I confided in a highly-placed person who I wouldn't want to mention his name. He advised me to remain calm and concentrate on my job. My refusal to comply with such questionable instructions largely accounted for the anger of Mr. Speaker towards me.

“Dogara was more interested in telling me about the forces who didn't want me to be appointed Chairman Appropriations as if I cared. He mentioned former Speaker and present Governor of Sokoto State Aminu Waziri Tambuwal as one. That is how narrow-minded Dogara can be.”

“It was much later that I realised that Senator Omisore had adopted Speaker Dogara as a godson since their days as Chairman Appropriations and House Services in the sixth Assembly respectively.

“We should discuss the possibility of returning the N100 billion constituency component of the budget under any of our laws so that all stolen money can be returned, particularly the N40 billion naira and equitably distributed to all constituencies.”

Story by David Oputah.