– Members of the House of Representatives are
currently divided over allegations of budget
padding against the leadership of the House
currently divided over allegations of budget
padding against the leadership of the House
– While a group has begun to gather signatures
for Speaker Dogara’s impeachment, the speaker is
also rallying members to gather support ahead of
resumption
– Abdulmumin Jibrin, the member who spilled the
‘beans’ has, on his own, vowed to continue to
churn out more until the speaker is removed from
office
Multiple sources at the House of Representatives
confirmed Friday, July 29, 2016 that the
impeachment process of embattled Speaker Yakubu
Dogara has commenced.
Embattled Speaker Yakubu Dogara is said to be
rallying friends within the House against possible
impeachment
Dogara is not the only principal officer on this
journey, according to the sources. His deputy,
Yussuf Suleimon Lasun, chief whip, Alhassan Ado
Doguwa and minority leader, Leo Ogorther, all
indicted by Abdulmumin Jibrin, former chairman of
the committee on appropriation, will also be sent
packing.
Though the House is supposedly on recess, the
legislators who spoke with our correspondent said
some members are already championing the cause
to have the indicted officers removed.
“We have started collecting signatures to have them
removed because the allegations amount to a dent
on the integrity of, not just the House, but the
National Assembly.
“We know these things have been going on for
quite a ling time. I was part of those who told the
leadership of the House that we would not agree to
padding this time. Dogara agreed with us.
“So we are shocked that despite our efforts to
sanitise the system, Dogara and his clique still
found a way around the budget and inserted items
after the budget had been passed and on transition
to the executive arm,” one of the legislators from
Lagos explained.
Asked if he was already declaring Dogara guilty, he
said: “It is not a matter of declaring anyone guilty
here. We are members of the House and we know
all that happens.
“Each time budgets are padded, legislators only
grumble, but refused to speak out because of fear
of being victimised by those hitherto considered
very powerful.
“We must begin to adopt the style of the advanced
countries where you have to resign when indicted
on issues as weighty as the one currently before
us,” he added.
Jibrin had revealed, some days ago, that he was
forced to by the speaker and some others to pad
the budget with N40 billion.
The speaker has denied this claim and threatened
to sue if Jibrin refuses to withdraw the allegation
that amounts to libel.
But rather than apologise, Jibrin declared that he
was already in touch with the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the
Independent Corrupt Practices and other related
Offences Commission (ICPC).
It is believed that Jibrin, a former close ally of
Dogara, has documents to prove that there was
indeed padding by those indicted.
On Thursday, he asked Dogara to tell Nigerians how
a government water project in the budget found its
way to the speaker’s farm in Nasarawa.
Another legislator and member of the Transparency
Group of the House told NAIJ.com that the issue
had gone beyond the House and that his group is
advocating for an investigation to be conducted by
an external body.
“For us, our argument is that if the ethics and
privileges committee handles the issue, there would
be no headway. We therefore want investigation by
external bodies.
“As I speak to you, we already have over 15
members of the House compiling petitions against
Dogara and his group. In the next few days, the
anti-graft agencies will receive several petitions,” he
said reminding that he is not the spokesperson for
the group.
A lawmaker from Bauchi, who is though in Dogara’s
camp, expressed worry that the nature of allegations
against the speaker calls for thorough investigation.
"Some of us support the speaker, not because we
are not sure that he actually did what they said he
did, but because he is our person, from our area.
“Ordinarily, some of us are pissed. You can imagine
where one person gets very huge allocations to his
constituency while his colleagues from the same
state get next to nothing. The constituents would
not understand the politics involved in this thing,
they will just conclude that their representative has
failed.
“I can tell you that there is serious heat. The
speaker is also not resting, he is trying to build
support base ahead of resumption, but I can tell you
it is not easy,” he said, adding however that Jibrin
should also face prosecution for being an
accomplice in the first instance.
Jibrin, in a statement on Thursday, July 28, had
given a hint that the speaker would be removed.
“When a new speaker emerges and the other
principal officers are replaced, I will write to the
presiding officers of both chambers to commence a
radical internal reform in the entire NASS, beyond
budget to cover performance assessment, running
cost and allowances, investigations, etc.
“If the reforms so done on NASS is not made
public, latest by December, I shall take it up and lay
before the general public even if I am alone.
“The idea is to do a cleanup, flush out corruption
and corrupt members so that in 2019 only corrupt
free people who want to serve will come in.
“God Almighty knows I am not perfect but as I
approach 40 years in September, I have always
wondered what is it that I can live and die for,” he
said.
When NAIJ.com contacted Honourable Abdulrazak
Namdas, the chairman of the committee on
information, his phone was said to be out of
service.
However, the House had earlier given its own side
of the story declaring that all the allegations were
lies by Jibrin.
The House also said Jibrin was removed as
appropriation committee chairman against his own
claim that he actually resigned from the committee.
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