A former Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Mr.
Abdulmumin Jibrin, has described the House of Representatives as the most
corrupt arm of government in the country.
He said this on Sunday when he reviewed the anti-corruption
crusade, which he launched against the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, and three
other principals of the legislature.
Jubrin said the review marked the 30th day of his removal as the
Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation.
The other three are the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Lasun Yussuff; the Chief Whip, Mr.
Alhassan Ado-Doguwa; and the Minority Leader, Mr. Leo Ogor.
Jibrin, an All Progressives Congress lawmaker from Kano State, was
removed by Dogara on July 20 for allegedly “abusing” the 2016 budget.
“I dare say corruption in the House of Representatives today is
more than that of the executive and judiciary combined.
“We shall go on and continue to expose corruption and corrupt
persons in the House,” he wrote in a statement.
On July 21, he launched his anti-corruption campaign against the
four principal officers, demanding, among others, their resignation.
In his latest statement on Sunday titled, ‘30 Days of
Dogara-Gate,’ Jibrin said he would step up his fight to cleanse the legislature
of corruption.
He said he expected that Dogara and the three others should have
been prosecuted by now, adding that he would explore every available legal
means to bring them to justice.
“The truth remains that Dogara, Yussuff, Doguwa, Ogor and others
committed monumental fraud in the 2016 Budget, which can be prosecuted under
our laws.
“We will explore all legal avenues to ensure that justice is
served,” the former chairman said.
As always, Jibrin claimed that no offence had been listed against
him other than sacking him.
“During this period (30 days), they have struggled to establish
one single allegation against me or a single reason for ‘sacking’ me that can
stand the test of truth. Every day, the reason for ‘sacking’ me continues to
change,” he added.
Jibrin took a swipe at the judiciary and the executive arms of
government, even as he described the House as being more corrupt than the two
combined.
Only on Thursday last week, the 10 principal officers of the
House signed a joint statement to disown Jibrin.
They said his sacking was a ‘collective decision’ arising from his
role in abusing the budget process.
“The decision to relieve the erstwhile Chairman, House Committee
on Appropriation, of his position was a collective decision of the leadership
in response to unrelenting pressure from the overwhelming majority of members
who were irked by the former chairman’s gross abuse of the budget process,” the
principal officers stated.
Those who signed the joint statement were Dogara, Yussuff,
Ado-Doguwa, House Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila; Deputy Leader, Buba Jibril; Deputy
Whip, Pally Iriase; Ogor; Deputy Minority Leader, Chukwuka Onyeama; Minority
Whip, Yakubu Barde; and Deputy Minority Whip, Binta Bello-Maigeri.
But, on Friday, Jibrin dismissed the principal officers, alleging
that they came under pressure from Dogara to disown him.
When contacted on Sunday, the Speaker’s Office said it no longer
found it necessary to respond to Jibrin’s statements.
The Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs to the Speaker,
Mr. Turaki Hassan, told The PUNCH that he office had made sufficient responses
to Jibrin’s allegations.
Source: Punch
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