Budget Padding: Jibrin Writes Presidential Advisory Committee On Anti-Corruption

Former chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin has stated that he has written the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-corruption requesting an appointment to avail the committee a detailed presentation of what he termed ‘Dogara-gate’.

In a statement issued yesterday, Jibrin also revealed that he has commenced the process of briefing the diplomatic community on the matter.

Hon. Jibrin has in the past weeks made several allegations on the speaker and 12 other lawmakers bordering on budget padding and corrupt practices.

The embattled lawmaker further stated that he has petitioned the Public Complaints Commission and Human Rights Commission to protect his rights.

The statement reads: “I have also sent a letter today to the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-corruption requesting for an appointment to make a detail presentation on all the allegations that constitute Dogara-gate.”

Meanwhile, the Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa, has said  Hon.  Jibrin Abdulmumini  would not escape legislative sanction, as he had subjected the House to ridicule.

Doguwa also said that Abdulmumini has lost favour with the executive arm of government and from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“He has also lost out with the Executive arm of government and our great party, the APC,” he said.

The Chief whip in a statement yesterday noted that Abdulmumini’s decision to drag the Speaker and other principal officers of the House before the court contravened standing rules of the House.

He described Abdulmumini’s move as an act of cowardice aimed at shielding himself from sanction.

According to the Doguwa, the lawmaker representing Kiru-Bebeji federal constituency of Kano state has succeeded in deliberately subjecting the institution of the National Assembly to grievous disrepute and institutional damage, which apparently contravened our extant internal standing rules and specifically Section 24 and 33 of the Legislative Houses Powers and Privileges Act.

“I wish to declare such moves as sheer cowardice and an act of escapism. Jibrin’s legal strategy is to deploy a judicial instrument to protect him against possible sanctions from the House over his baseless, malicious and fictitious allegations to scandalously defame and destroy our innocent personalities/integrity in the eyes of Nigerian public,” he said.

According to Doguwa, the breach of House conduct must attract legislative sanction.

“With this clear violation of our extant internal code of legislative conduct, which must attract legislative sanctions against Jibrin, Nigerians should know that all sorts of statements and pronouncements made by Jibrin were mere sham and misrepresentations of facts. He has lost out his campaign of calumny against the House of Reps,” he said.